Board of works issues orders to vacate and condemn properties

City officials took action on four different properties where code enforcement is looking to resolve issues, with violations ranging from unfit living conditions to exceedingly high grass.

Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety members approved different orders regarding properties at 3300 Jonathon Moore Pike, 371 Center Street, 1330 Sycamore and 4151 W 25 S.

3300 Jonathon Moore Pike

The first property discussed was the former Denny’s at 3300 Jonathon Moore Pike. Board members approved an order to vacate, condemn and demolish the structure, but also gave the property owner 30 days to show progress before legal action is taken.

Code enforcement had been working with the owner of the property, Chen Zhi Shen, for the past six months to get the property repaired.

Code enforcement first reported violations in December, including that the property was unsecured, windows were busted out, a water leak had occurred and there was mold growing on the walls. Items found inside also indicated that either unhoused people or vandals had been staying there, according to the city.

Code enforcement found violations of Indiana Code regarding vacant or deteriorated structures and unsafe buildings, along with a city violation of public nuisance.

Robin Chavez, code enforcement coordinator, indicated the owner had said they didn’t have the money for the repairs “because of the tariffs,” but recently had hired a contractor to do repairs on the roof. Some landscaping work that code enforcement required had also been satisfied.

371 Center Street

The board approved an order to vacate and condemn the home at 371 Center Street but is giving the owner 30 days to get utilities turned on or the city will take legal action.

Violations of Indiana Code regarding dwellings unfit for human habitation and unsafe buildings were named in a letter code enforcement sent to the property owner.

Code enforcement became aware of the home due to violations on the outside, but later found a generator was plugged into the side of the house. Code enforcement informed the owner that it was unsafe to run the generator on the whole house, but the owner said he did not have electricity.

Down power lines were found in the backyard, which the property owner said were not live. But an assessment from a fire marshal found that they were.

The electricity was out because the electrical box needed fixing, city officials said, and United Way was contacted to give a quote. Code enforcement said United Way fixed the box free of charge, but electricity has still yet been turned back on and code enforcement also found water was not running on the property.

Code enforcement, in coordination with community development, is requiring utilities be turned on as part of an effort to get the owner assistance through the Columbus Homeless Independence and Resiliency Program (CHIRP). Having utilities turned on increases the likelihood of the owner being accepted into the program, according to city officials.

In addition, Chavez said United Way is actively involved in helping the owner find another place to stay, with Mayor Mary Ferdon noting how the city and United Way are “great partners.”

4151 W 25 S

Code enforcement’s Fred Barnett said the property at 4151 W 25 S is one they’ve been dealing with since 2016 after the original property owner passed away.

The board approved an order to vacate condemn, demolish and take legal action on the property that Barnett called a “truly abandoned house.”

Code enforcement found violations related to abandoned, unlicensed and inoperable vehicles, unsafe bulidings and those regarding uncontrolled vegetation.

The property is still in Keith Thompson’s name and none of the deceased’s family had taken action to resolve the issues, Barnett said.

County highway is going to conduct an “emergency mowing” on the property because if it’s not mowed soon, Barnett said the grass will reach a point where its beyond the equipment’s capabilities.

1330 Sycamore

Board members consented to an order to vacate condemn and/or demolish 1330 Sycamore where code enforcement found the home to be unsafe and unfit for human habitation. Code enforcement is giving the landlord, Phillip Buster, 30 days to show progress or the city will take legal action.

Code enforcement was alerted about violations at the property after being contacted by the Indiana Department of Child Services. A minor that had been living there has since been removed from the home, but there are other adult tenants still living there. Code enforcement officials said Buster is intending to provide the tenants—who had lived there more than a decade—another place to live in 30 days so he can make repairs.

At that time he will “redo the whole inside of the house and I assume the outside as well,” Chavez told board members.

The walls of the home cracked when code enforcement surveyed the home, a sign of a structurally unsafe structure, Chavez said.