321 E 5th Street: It's coming down!

[CS Foltz]

Anyone want to form a pool to see .........when it is for sale again and for x number of dollars?

[nvrenuf]

Anyone want to form a pool to see .........when it is for sale again and for x number of dollars?

He wants it torn down. If we can't get a moratorium, he'll probably get his wish.

[sheclown]

no more bulldozers...no more bulldozers...no more bulldozers

[iloveionia]

^ ^ What they each said.

[Springfield Girl]

The reason Louise wrote that letter is because the house had been approved for demo before Mr. Vinas bought it. He bought because it was approved and he planned to build a new home. After he bought the house, Mr. McEachin made him come in front of the commission and tried to start the process over. Mr. Vinas was very upset because he had talked to several people in city depts. before he bought who told him the house was coming down. He would have never bought if the house was not going to be demoed and he felt that he got screwed in the deal. Just some background on what actually happened and why Louise got involved to help the owner.

What is very interesting to me is that it has taken a year for this “explanation” to come out.  This explanation  was never posted in the original e-mail thread.  And now it is being posted by the person on the HPC that has been quoted as saying “All the houses worth doing (in Springfield) have already been done”.  Springfield Girl, you have voted for demolition much more often that you spoke about saving a house.  Why is that exactly?

As what has transpired the last few years over the demolition of the houses in Springfield is brought to the surface, the pieces are starting to fit together like in a murder mystery, the victims of which are the houses, a few good people and ultimately this entire community.   It is a tale of lies and deceit, of greed and personal favors.

The owner of this particular house, Richard Vinas, has been described as a Restorer by Chris Farley.  Now he is being defended by Springfield’s representative on the HPC, who is also defending Louise DeSpain, former ED of SPAR Council, while she does it.  And , we need to ask ourselves, why are these two, who are supposed to be for the houses, defending someone who wants to tear them down?  Remember, Mr. Vinas has at least two he wants gone.

Looking at the more recent HPC minutes of this house as posted on page one of this thread, the city was not  about to tear this house down.  How do I know that?  If it had been, Mr. Vinas would not have had to take it to the HPC for permission himself.  We recently lost a house on Hubbard Terrace, taken by the owner under the city’s HPC approval for demolition.  Over a year after Mr. Vinas tried to get permission for demolition, this house is still not the menace to society some would like us to believe, it is still very restorable. Frankly, as a contractor myself, I would say that when Mr. Vinas purchased this home, he could have made it a decent little rental very affordably.  Instead, with the support if not the permission  from Louise DeSpain, and Springfield Girl, he preferred to just tear it down. Thankfully, the historical department knew what was going on and stopped it and got the wrath of Louise DeSpain for doing it.

Springfield Girl, you are obviously a large part of the problem here.  You do not get it.  You feel you can pick and choose who gets to demolish a house and who doesn’t . You defend the indefensible and so therefore, I feel it is time you stepped down from the HPC and let someone else get on board who will recognize that not all the houses worth doing have been done.  Who will recognize that only by saving every house that can be saved can we continue to be a real historic district, not just in name, but in spirit.

I'm not defending anyone and I definitely didn't give my permission or support. I don't understand how my trying to give some info turned into me defending Mr. Vinas or Louise. I do not get to pick and choose what gets demoed and what doesn't, I am only one vote on a board. Mr. Vinas was not involved when the house was put on the demo track. He bought it after it was approved for demo. I agree with the earlier post that we have plenty of empty lots and a historic home should not come down to build new. I felt that with the purchase price so low the property could be restored and I tried to convince Mr. Vinas that he could still make a profit by doing so. Before that I tried to help the previous owner, (the lady with cancer) find a buyer before she lost the house to forclosure. There were no takers and the bank took the home. If anyone wants to check the history of this call Joel or PM me and I will give you Mr. Vinas' number.   

[sheclown]

Springfield Girl, correct me if I am wrong, but your one vote on this board voted to put this house on the formal track for demolition, if I read the HPC minutes correctly.

[uptowngirl]

SpringfieldGirl asked my dad to also look at this house to buy it, as she was concerned it was going to go down the demo path. We did look at the house, but the owner (a lady with cancer) was working through some shady foreclosure go-between and there were a lot of issues with the bank and how much they were willing to short sale it for.

I do not really like to get into the middle of old battles, but felt sine i was personally involved in some of this history I should put my two cents in. SpringfieldGirl was trying to find a buyer, and almost did if it had not been for the bank and this shady foreclosure company.

[sheclown]

I don't wish to bring up old stuff either, but what I am looking at is a commissioners record on voting.  In this instance, the commissioner voted to place this property on the formal track to demolition.

Beyond that, I have no knowledge.

[strider]

Springfield Girl, you do get to pick and choose how you vote.  Your "only one vote" could have made a difference. Instead, you chose to be the popular girl who went with the crowd or worse, actually believed the houses deserved to be put on the "formal track for demolition". We really don't know which for sure.  I suspect some of both.

It doesn't matter.  If you are the good person following the wrong crowd or a villain in this, it really doesn't matter.  The houses matter and we need someone on the HPC who really gets it. It doesn't seem to be you. 

I hope I am wrong, because if I am, both of us and the community wins.  If I am right, however, the community will continue to lose.

[Springfield Girl]

Springfield Girl, correct me if I am wrong, but your one vote on this board voted to put this house on the formal track for demolition, if I read the HPC minutes correctly.

I was not on the commission at that time. I took Mr. Leuthould's spot when he termed out.

[Springfield Girl]

Joe, believe me when I say there is no popularity involved with HPC. Hate mail is the reward we get for our efforts. I save it to always remind me there are differing views. 

[sheclown]

Excellent point, Springfield girl.  Many apologies.

[Springfield Girl]

Thanks Sheclown.

[ChriswUfGator]

Joe, believe me when I say there is no popularity involved with HPC. Hate mail is the reward we get for our efforts. I save it to always remind me there are differing views.  

Ironic, since most of the hate mail of the last few years concerning Springfield came from two camps; People complaining about unnecessary bogus demolitions and SPAR's stifling of everyone else's business plans, and on the opposite side SPAR and/or its members complaining about COJ not allowing as many unnecessary bogus demolitions as they saw fit, and complaining about anyone they didn't approve of renovating a property or opening a business.

Since you were on both boards, I'm not entirely sure how you now get to cry foul. Are we supposed to feel bad simply because your chickens were coming home to roost? (well, maybe chickens is a bad example, since your group had them all rounded up and slaughtered. Anyone got a more SPAR-appropriate analogy?)

[sheclown]

I'm going to withhold any more comments on this.  I have been reading the HPC minutes and I need to understand the process much better than I do now.