1325 Laura -- demolition hearing at HPC

[sheclown]

This house was heard this afternoon at the HPC meeting:



Elaine Lancaster along with the new code enforcement officer was there.  Shannon Palmer, next door neighbor,  and her girls were there as well.  

Elaine spoke about the recent sudden deterioration of the house -- roof panels peeling off.  She said she went to the house this morning to check it out.  I went by there about 1/2 hour ago and took some photos and they are below:



south view of the roof.  No changes from previous photo.



This photo was used as an illustration of how the roof panels are starting to come up.



Shannon Palmer brought in some tin that had blown into her yard.  The testimony that was given was that this was from a roofing panel b/c roofing panels were flapping and falling off.  Closer examination reveals that the metal which is falling off of the roof is old flashing.  The owner removed the chimney and left the hole open.  The good news for the roof is that removing the loose flashing would do nothing to harm the house nor would it be expensive.  Just a ladder and a pair of tin snips.



a close up of the flashing which is falling off.

[sheclown]

Shannon said that Tamarra BAker of Baker Klien Engineering looked at the house and said it was structurally unsound but has not written anything up.

Shannon is very frustrated that the house is in such bad shape. She brought in pictures of the house from years ago when it was occupied. These photos are dated and will possibly be used by the OGC to prove "demolition by neglect".

She is very worried about the safety of her family especially her children. She is afraid that metal pieces will hit them when they are playing the yard. She brought a bag of items that she had collected from her front yard including metal pieces with nails.

I spoke next. I agreed that it must be very frustrating for Ms. Palmer not only does she have small children but also her home is so beautiful and they take such care of it. I offered SOS's help in cleaning up and suggested if we could get permission from the owner, perhaps we could paint it or board it. I said that we had access to volunteers and would do whatever we could.

I also pointed out to the HPC commission that according to our ongoing research, perhaps over 500 houses have been demolished since 1985. I pointed out the R/udat study, the vacant lots then, the vacant lots now, and etc. I said that this home is important as it is part of the historic fabric which is vanishing.

I asked for a deferral until the mothballing legislation could pass and would give us another option.

[sheclown]

HPC asked me several questions about the mothballing legislation which I answered to the best of my ability and then asked Jason Teal to respond. He spoke that the legislation could be as soon as 90 days or could be much longer. He wants HPC and MCC to have a chance to look it over and then it will need to go to full council.

After public comments, the commissioners spoke among themselves. There is concern about "deadbeat" homeowners who allow this sort of damage to their homes and all agree there is limited amount that the city or the neighborhood groups can do about it.

Commissioner Jennifer Mansfield then began talking about 518 and the fact that MCC CAN do, by ordinance, minor stabilization repairs including fixing roofing problems. She said "I don't understand why the city won't use the ordinance in place of demolition" especially, she added, when the ordinance states that historic properties are to be protected. She said "she resents the fact...and it is NOT necessary."

She put forth a motion that HPC deny the demolition with a less intense remedy of dealing with the property's safety. She advised MCC to secure the roof panels, board and secure the property, and use temporary bracing as needed. MCC has 30 days to respond. If MCC finds that it is economically unfeasible to make these repairs, they are free to go ahead with demolition without having to return to HPC.

It was an interesting meeting. To say the least.

[sheclown]

There are two places on the roof where the chimneys used to be.  These areas could be rather easily repaired. 

Place metal panels over the openings with screws.



$26.98 for a 12' section

One could use rolled material to stabilize any other roof issues roof like this:



It is $87.81 per roll 36 by 33.5 feet. 

The roof flashing could be cut off.

Rough estimate $200 in materials and 12 to 14 man hours to fix that roof.

[sheclown]

I would reboard all of the windows and the doors -- using the guidelines with holes for ventilation and painted white, of course.  It would probably cost $350.00 to board and secure and an additional 16 man hours.

I would stablize the pier issue with temporary dry stack piers (2 X 2 pad with cinderblocks on top).  On both sides of the pier.



That would cost around $50. and 4 man hours.

The interior would need to be checked.  We know there are some temporary bracing inside.  That would need to be checked on a reinforced if needed.

[sheclown]

It looks, to me, that it would be between $1500 to $2500 to stabilize what is evident from the exterior. It probably costs $10k to demolish it.  There's a lot of wiggle room here -- lots of money to make this place safe.

[Springfielder]

The sad part is, we know how the city doesn't give a damn about saving anything in a historic district, which is evidenced by LaVilla...which is gone. All but a handful of original, historic structures. This administration seldom seems to do the right thing, and code enforcement is their schoolyard bully.

[PeeJayEss]

Does this building have any historic significance other than being in Springfield? This place seems to fall more under the "old" category than the "historic" category. I don't think we do the area any favors by simply saving everything that was built before 1950. Wouldn't it to better to focus energy on saving only the properties that are salvageable? I understand that demolition would be more expensive. But boarding it up is not exactly putting it to good use, and will eventually result in demo. Nonetheless, I applaud your efforts at preservation.

Also, is it for sale? What is the structural condition (apart from the obvious problem with the piers)? It looks like its sagging at its midpoint.

[sheclown]

We have lost (roughly) 500 houses in the historic district.  This house is important b/c it is a member of the historic fabric.  The owner has done atrocious things to this house including removing the chimneys, all the trim and the plaster, and leaving the house in this condition for years.

The house has gone through such neglect and yet it remains relatively sound.  The sag is what appears to have been an enclosed porch at one time -- it was most likely a bathroom which had plumbing problems.  The sill is in remarkably good shape.

I believe that there is enough money to stabilize this house and then perhaps even put a thick coat of primer on it which would do much to remove its appearance as a blighted property.  Holding on to it now, will enable a family in the future to buy and restore it.

As a contractor, I have restored homes in this condition.  I am thinking of a job we took over on East 5th Street which was gutted in much the same manner.  Today that house is a total beauty with newly milled trim matching the historic.  While not much of the historic features remain on the inside, this home's footprint is vital to the overall historic fabric of the neighborhood.

This home on Laura is important in the same way.  Had we not been eager to tear down houses in the last several years, perhaps we could have "afforded" to lose this one.  Now, all homes are critically important.

[Matt M]

The owner  -  http://bhwebapp.bmcjax.com/fap/default.aspx?id=3695

[PeeJayEss]

The owner  -  http://bhwebapp.bmcjax.com/fap/default.aspx?id=3695

Seriously? Why do they own this?

[Matt M]

http://www.youtube.com/v/bVhcB9ucmdg

[Timkin]

The sad part is, we know how the city doesn't give a damn about saving anything in a historic district, which is evidenced by LaVilla...which is gone. All but a handful of original, historic structures. This administration seldom seems to do the right thing, and code enforcement is their schoolyard bully.

+1 

[urbaknight]

These pictures are too close. Just what the hell am I looking at? Can someone provied a picture of the structure in full?

[sheclown]

certainly



The middle house with the columns.