The city of Columbus is issuing a condemnation and demolition order for a home in southeast Columbus that city officials have described as structurally unsound and noncompliant for several years.
The Columbus Board of Works has approved this action for a home at 2272 Indiana Ave. based on the recommendation of code enforcement officer Fred Barnett.
“The last thing I want to do is have a house demolished, but sometimes it gets to the point that you’ve got no choice, especially when it’s become a public nuisance,” he said.
Barnett said that the board has taken legal action against this property in the past, and a court hearing is set for July 12, at which point he will add the condemnation and demolition order to the case. The property owner, Richard Spray, has the right to appeal the board’s decision and can do so at that time.
According to court records, Spray has been accused of local ordinance violations dating back to 2015, including public nuisances, an unsafe building, outdoor open storage, unlicensed and inoperable vehicles, and a parking ordinance violation. The case is being handled by Bartholomew Superior Court 2 small claims court.
Spray was arrested by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department on June 17 for possession of methamphetamine, but Barnett said this shouldn’t affect the proceedings regarding his property.
Barnett described the house at 2272 Indiana Avenue as unsafe for residents and neighboring properties, including a nearby church and two other homes owned by Spray at 2252 and 2262 Indiana Ave.
“The property is structurally unsound from the foundation, from the cracks in the foundation — along the back, there’s actually no foundation,” he said. “The sides of the house, they had a beam on the right side and the left side of the house with a chain going in between, cranking it up to keep the walls from collapsing. The idea was for them to get that fixed and remodeled.”
According to Barnett, Spray got building permits to work on the house in 2015 and 2018, but nothing was ever done. In 2019, Barnett condemned the property and ordered its demolition. Spray then said he was going to get another building permit to fix it up but did not do so.
The reason for the upcoming court hearing is because Spray was supposed to have cleaned up his property and cleared out items such as garbage and vehicles due to a previous court case, Barnett said.
According to Barnett, Spray got rid of the vehicles and trailers on his property and put a fence up around his backyard, but did not fix the house’s structural issues and has created a “junkyard environment in a residential area.”
“It’s back the way it was before and actually worse,” he said. “So we’re going to put him on a continuous improvement order. But at the same time, there’s three houses involved, which he owns, and the first one, the 2272, is the one that is in total disrepair.”
He explained that while the charges are primarily related to 2272 Indiana Ave., Spray’s properties at 2252 and 2262 are also involved in the lawsuit because some of the problems have “bled over” into these properties. Kimberly J. King is a co-defendant in the case and is listed as co-owner of 2252 Indiana Avenue on the county’s GIS system.
Barnett added that the house at 2272 has a wood-burning stove that Spray uses during the winter that poses a safety risk.
“… It’s definitely a fire hazard. The house is completely full of — one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, but it’s full of debris, which makes it unsafe,” Barnett said.
When asked if the home is uninhabited, Barnett said that it’s supposed to be vacant due to the condemnation order, but he said Spray and other people are still living there.
