Photo provided Conditions at a home on Pence Street which has been condemned.
City officials approved a request from code enforcement in hopes of resolving a litany of violations regarding a home on Pence Street.
Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety board members on Tuesday consented to an order to vacate, condemn, demolish and take legal action, if necessary, to resolve violations at 372 Pence St..
Code enforcement found violations of Indiana Code and municipal code regarding unsafe buildings, minimum housing standards and vacant or deteriorated structures, among others, according to city documents.
The property owners, Bradley and Cathryn Grayson, had been given an initial 45 days to fix issues outlined by code enforcement but they were not done sufficiently, according to city officials.
The order board members approved on Tuesday will give the owners another 30 days to fix the issues while the tenants currently residing there look for options to live elsewhere.
If the issues aren’t fixed, the city intends to go to court to seek fine restitution and an order to demolish the structure.
Photos inside the home show water-damage on counter tops and under the sink, an unstable kitchen floor, unsecured power outlets, a sagging roof and rotted soffits, along with various indications of structural issues.
Code Enforcement Coordinator Fred Barnett said they had been working with United Way in similar situations over the past few months where a tenant may have trouble finding another place to live after being asked to leave a home. United Way has been working with impacted tenants in finding alternative housing, he said.
