Photo provided A photo from a condemned property at 342 Pence St. provided by Columbus Code Enforcement.
City officials will decide later this month whether or not to issue a fine on a home in east Columbus that city officials have described as being in “deplorable condition.”
The Columbus Board of Works has voted to reduce a fine on the property at 342 Pence St. to $2,500 and suspend it until June 27, at which point the board will hear from property owner Brad Grayson again and reconsider the fine.
The motion also requires that the owner stay in touch with code enforcement in the meantime, follow through with an inspection and provide an exterminator’s report showing that the site appears to be “free from vermin,” said Mayor Jim Lienhoop.
“This has got to be cleaned up, and we’ve got to have evidence of that,” he said.
The board previously voted in late May to approve a condemnation order and a $7,500 fine for the property.
However, city attorney Alan Whitted said that he has since learned that the maximum fine for this kind of situation, under Columbus municipal code, is $2,500.
Code enforcement officer Fred Barnett has described the residence as “one of the worse houses I’ve seen in Columbus on the inside,” with “everything from animal feces to garbage,” as well as holes in the roof and floors.
“It’s in deplorable condition. Deplorable. One of the worst I’ve ever seen,” Barnett said at a previous city meeting.
City officials said their attention was drawn to the house after receiving a complaint from a neighbor with small children who reported that the home had been vacant for around two years and was attracting mice, rats and snakes to the area.
“He also reported that there were possible homeless people,” said code enforcement officer Erika Smith. “… He said that they were coming into the yard at 342 Pence St. and having issues with watching them using the restroom.”
Grayson, who was represented by lawyer Elliot Happel, and Smith each presented accounts of the situation regarding this property during an appeal hearing Tuesday. The two parties differed on details such as how long the house appears to have been vacant and when Grayson may have become aware of the condition of the interior of the structure.
In discussing the clean-up, Happel said that the tenant relinquished possession of the home, as well as any personal property therein, on May 24. Since then, Grayson has worked to clean up the residence.
“To the best of your ability, you believe it’s up to code and ready to go?” he asked his client.
Grayson said he believes that the home is now up to “structural code and also health code.” Work on the site has included cleaning out evidence of hoarding, scrubbing, painting, replacing the kitchen and replacing the bathroom.
“We would ask that the board suspend any fine that they may see appropriate to issue and that Mr. Grayson would be allowed to show that he’s got this home back into condition suitable for habitation and that, upon such a showing, that the fine would be lifted,” said Happel.
