Many faces of The Captain- Settlers’ Watch- Lorain 2017

Photo Mark Teleha

As I started to write this post with regard to the tree carvings at Settlers’ Watch and their journey
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/settlers-watch-an-overview/
( yes you will see they have travelled over time) I realized we were coming up on the 10th anniversary of the first carvings. Time, bugs, road salt and weather have taken their toll.

But it is “The Captain” who has changed and was on life support for a year or more. We spent hundreds in chemicals and treatments and this is his story.

Born 2007 The Captain had a rough birth- CVSI had raised money to carve some of trees taken down by Ohio Edison – 19 of them along 2nd street making the street uglier and without any softness or much worth .

We had just started the carving – first up Lorain Portside Sign to coincide with the Lorain Bicentennial August 2007
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12219598@N06/

when a change in the plan for the new sewers blindsided us. Originally these were going to bypass the area BUT as with all things plans change and trees marked for carving were taken down ( without warning) and piles of materials were stored on the site. We had already taken donations and the carvings were contracted.

This meant since they chopped down his tree and the one destined to be Eric Barnes Eagle we had to purchase other pieces of wood to be carved into the Captain and Eric Barnes Eagle off site.
The eagle when finished was safely stored at inside at the City of Lorain but the Captain went to Black River Landing.
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/the-captain-arrives-and-the-eagle-landed/

He was supposed to be sealed and not stored on concrete due to the heat coming up from the concrete and in direct sunlight- this didn’t happen . Unfortunately, in the ensuing months of not being maintained , the toll taken by summer and winter the Captain started with issues.

2007-2008

Photo Mark Teleha

When we finally brought him back to the site he was very dry and whilst the other carvings took a gallon of sealer for all 4 he took 2 gallons by himself, he was soaking it up like a sponge but he and the other carvings finally had a home

Photo Mark Teleha

There he stood spring , summer , fall and winter for the next 4 years

Lorain365

His other problem is he attracts seagulls – these seagulls have a tendency to sit on his hat and poop – that poop eats away at the sealer opening his wood up to the elements and bugs .In 4 years he went from this to this

And his issues continued:

It was one day (during Pride Day 3 years ago) as we went to give him a coat of sealer we noticed what looked like a bullet hole in his back. No! not a bullet hole BUT wood wasps had made their homes in him, and the Heron and Lighthouse.

The Heron and Lighthouse were a quick fix but the Captain had a attracted seagulls who delighted in sitting on his hat . Their guano had eaten through the sealer and the wood on the top of his head leaving a huge hole in his head – just brilliant for collecting water. .

Research was started as how to preserve him and his crumbling insides- Many hundreds of dollars later we tried with preservatives , bug deterrents – drilling holes in him filling him with the wood chemicals, stabilizing wood pieces and plugging him up. We reached out to professionals all over the country. We added a hat over his carved head until we could deal with the damage and the seagulls. We had to leave his head open to access his insides.

Photo Lorain 365

Try as we might, his rotted insides didn’t react well and the chemicals actually reacted with the sealer and the Captain turned a dark mahogany.

He was literally flaking to death – his ship’s wheel would find the stanchions falling to the ground, his arms where the wasps and insects had done the most damage were hollow and flaking off, shedding with every week. It looked like curtains for the Captain. Obviously none of the “professional fixes ” were working we had to stabilize him whilst we experimented – otherwise the Captain was sunk.

His hat was retied onto his head ,back to front to protect his face , his cracks and holes filled with a special wood compound but

would it harden- would it stay- could we carve it -like the can said?

We worked on the top of his arms and shoulders , replaced the wheel stanchions . covered his top half with a black bag to keep out the water and painted his lower half with a white preservative- and there he sat for most of last summer, fall and winter.

Photo Lorain 365

The unveiling was done with much trepidation this June

The test areas seemed to be holding so the next step filling the insides- no more bugs but cavities were still a huge problem, experiments with special insulation foam and various fill products seemed to work- he was less hollow and stable. Where the foam etc leaked out we could carve it and it held the wood product alright and so we left him without his black bag and the water was shedding off him .

So there we were – what next? Obviously we couldn’t leave him looking like he was and we could no longer seal it with the varnish- The men in the know-( his surgeons) decided house paint.. but that would look awful I thought but something has to be done to cover and seal the patches etc. House paint it was – Tudor Brown ( can you guess where that came from)- well it looks good on my house) – the problem was he looked flat and semi glossed… a bit softening and highlighting, the Captains face changed again –

He is a little grayer ( more like driftwood than mahogany this time around) – but then who wouldn’t be grayer after all he has been through- I know I am! Fingers crossed and if you would like to donate to the Captain’s Hat
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/passing-the-captains-hat-2015-update/

If you can see your way to helping to fill the Captains Hat – 100% percent of your donation goes to the project. We are a 501C3
Make checks payable to Charleston Village Society- ( Captain’s Hat in the memo line)
1127 West 4th Street, Lorain, Ohio 44052

There is still work to do at the very base and if this fix holds then hopefully he will remain at his helm for a few more years …Oh and his hat was put back on just incase a seagull alights!!!

I try I really do – City of Lorain-OPEN LETTER

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE MORE IS SAID THAN DONE!!!!

I have tried for years to help, give the benefit of the doubt but I am totally “cheesed off” – nothing changes – and why is that – no accountability. I have had retaliation, vindictiveness hurled through words and concrete for my trouble. BUT the tipping point has come…..

Check it out I have paid my taxes , volunteered up the yin yang – been involved for 30 years – took a derelict lot next door ( which we purchased for a nominal sum) but have now put into that lot over $22,000 in the last year . We didn’t have to do that we could have taken down the diseased and dangerous tree and just cut the grass.

Hello, City of Lorain having the new blue cart system, that wouldn’t fit behind our property like the old cans – just so my neighbors didn’t have to look at them cooking in the sunshine – we purchased a little home for them ( another 400 dollars) and covered them with trellis and roses .

So why is it when most of the street is adhering to rules for the past weeks( since the new garbage rules came out ) – I have watched garbage piles ( from the same address walk up and down the street for 9 weeks before it disappeared one night, grass that gets cut whenever.

and now for the 2nd week looked at mattresses infested with bed bugs ( Dale the Bed Bug Exterminator came and sprayed) WHY for the 2nd week have we looked at 2 box spring and mattresses leaning up against a dividing hedge.

Well I suppose it hides from view the red dump truck that is once again making it and its load part of the streetscape for the past 4 years – goes away and comes back like an unwanted relative. And around the corner more garbage and trash.

OK I get it some people will not follow the rules, don’t care or too lazy to follow but WHY should the rest of us have to put up with it…… why make any rules at all…… the Building Dept representative on facebook saying their side of the story

Heather Graves All of these lovely comments. I have one question and one question only to each and every one of you. When you go to work in the morning, afternoon, evening whatever the case may be…when your boss tells you to do something -you do it correct? I went through all of the comments. So…most of them are complaining because he is doing something. Others are complaining because he’s not citing in their neighborhoods. You do realize you can’t have it both ways correct? You can’t expect him to only cite what you don’t approve of. By all means make the complaints. The building department will do due process. If it’s a ghost foreclosure..meaning the bank gave orders to vacate and then never took possession…that house could sit there for YEARS, and then all of you can assume that it’s owned by the City of Lorain. Then there are the homes that are owned by someone that lives in Florida. What does anyone expect from that? Put out a warrant and send a pair of cops to go pick them up? I think you all need a reality check as far as what can and can’t be done in this city. I know…because I work in this department. As far as the gentleman that had his house taken a picture of after he took a picture of the inspector. Can you stop for a second and consider what these guys go through everyday? Constant complaints on them…threats…you have no idea. I get it…there is a genuine distaste for city workers, but please consider that we aren’t all bad. Most of us just want to go to work; work and go home without being yelled at, criticized and called names. We are all making our living one day at a time just as everyone else. I hope you all read this and at least a slight part of the other side.

You have my sympathy Ms. Graves but you and the staff are getting paid a million or so to do your jobs if it is so impossible to do them then maybe we should rethink the department and what will work…….. because I am not getting paid to look at trash and see property values tank WE ARE PAYING FOR THE PRIVILEGE ……….

Tale of the Two- The Cost Part 2.

This should be the last post in this series of a broken ( in my opinion )system of Building Dept inspections and accountability in the City of Lorain. The series, (links to the whole series at the bottom of this post) has looked upon the history of inspections, non accountability and lack of enforcement over the past 12 years. It is my belief, based upon the research so far, as to why Lorain finds itself in a housing market that is (especially in the 44052-44055) floundering . The downtown commercial buildings I didn’t touch upon also has added another layer of burden to the taxpayer.

Before getting into the costs to us in Lorain for this system I would like to thank the City of Lorain- Ritenauer Administration for their prompt response for all the documentation requested under the Public Records requests and also to Lorain Auditors Dept and Lorain County Auditor for their very quick response for information.

I would also like to state, as promised in my “About Page” that should I have a biases I would state it. I have for many years – more than I care to remember – had issues with the Lorain Building Dept. written about the deterioration of this neighborhood, and for 30 years “tried” along with administrating a 501C3 preservation district to stop the rot that is the foundation of neighborhood- our homes and quality of life.
38 years vacant before finally being torn down .
However, I also was aggrieved and found myself part of the process when doing that “mission” being, in my opinion, faced selective enforcement and the harassment of one City of Lorain Board ( Design review Board member) using the Lorain Building Dept. Chief Inspector and the dept. to “enforce” petty non compliance issues with my home . You can access the situation here:

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/the-dyenamics-of-inspections-time-lines-lorain/
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/dye-abolical-goose-and-the-gander-inspection-process-lorain/
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/city-officials-caught-between-a-ritchey-and-a-dye-place/

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/retribution-dye-a-tribed-the-process/

This documentation on the blog brought on a concrete throwing and down spout ripping off my home by a Neanderthal … and of course the added expense of installing cameras.

The irony in this instance was the inspected downspout ( named Don) was knocked loose due to a falling branch from the very large tree on the adjoining lot which was “owned”, at the time, by the CITY OF LORAIN!!!!. INSULT TO INJURY 🙂

and the response which ended up in its own series
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/ode-to-a-downspout-named-don-lorain/
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/08/05/outdoor-showrooms-lorain-by-don-the-downspout/
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/don-the-downspout-says-lorain-in-a-fix/

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/the-weapon-city-of-lorain-you-decide-trust-negated/

As I said, I have been writing about this housing and building situations for a very long time before the 12 years covered in this series . So it seemed amazing the Building Dept , Mr. Klinar and co were able to “jump” at the chance to “inspect my personal property within 4 days of the complaint when some situations in Lorain have taken decades…. (2015)

This is the sort of situation ( 1125) I had to put up with through 5 sets of landlords on the lot next door- and even when the tenants complained … what was done – nothing – then abandoned/ foreclosed until a tree took care of it .


Due to fact I published pictures of the same city lot next door which greatly ticked off a construction neighbor – parking illegally and the use of that lot for storing construction vehicles etc.

He made his retribution trip(2016) to the 5th floor of city hall. I was then once again inspected last year , this time for “weeds” growing through my chain link fence in the alley.

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/municipal-manipulation-lorain-e-again/

However the weeds, were Swiss Chard, Mint and Morning Glories and the boat was in compliance but wait they, the Building Dept. Inspectors had enough inspectors to come out drive up the alley inspect my property now for the third time in 2 years( first time was during the sumer inspection blitz where we were found OK) and send me yet another letter . The weeds????

Which would have been fine, in the way of things, if they had nothing else to do. BUT in order to inspect my vegetables and flowers, my downspout and garage paint they had for the past five years driven past a home on the alley that is literally caving in on itself –

weeds in the back of the alley were higher than an elephants eye and yet still sits as of yesterday with the same broken picture window it has had for 5 years ( boarded up – a property one of 16 owned by Mr. Brooks (spending time in jail drug dealing ) https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/grenade-and-garbage-lorain-
landlords-swatted/

So yes! the arbitrary and selective nonsense of retaliatory inspections on morning glories and downspouts, a garage that needed paint 3 inspections 2 years left me more than a little annoyed at the ” behavior” of the building Dept under the auspices of Mr. Klinar and of course the George Schneider advocate, Inspector Ralph Cantu ( now retired)

Hands Up I am biased!!!!!! against selective inspections and time wasting when a city is falling down around the 44052 and these situations can take years, in fact so long that in the case of 3620 Clifton we have to go back to the beginning because the “Statute of Limitations ran out.
Guilty!!!!!! I am biased – based on research and personal experience with the system

We have seen what it costs to have these homes sitting there for months and months years and decades. See part one of costs https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/tale-of-two-the-cost-part-one/

Now let us see what the cost locally Lorain for the cost each year to our budget so morning glories are inspected but 3620 Clifton , 1348 West Erie and the myriad of other homes in the 44052 44055 that are allowed to sit.

So what does this cost to run this “program” and department ‘ Firstly the Building Department does bring money into the City of Lorain coffers
”
The total amount of revenue generated last year was $788,898.54 and YTD is $238,208.62

Performance reports PDF file 2016 and 2017 found here
2016 Budget Performance Report for Building
2017 Budget Performance Report Building Department

Not bad just over 3/4 of a million dollars (2016)- now the costs:

OH OH we are already at a loss by $357.008.54 And we aren’t done yet because we also have the costs of the housing court and magistrate
Magistrate is paid from Court Improvement Fund. The City pays 60% of her salary and the other 40% is paid from the Lorain County.
Secretary pay is 55% General Fund, 20% Muni Court Probation Fund and 25% Court Improvement Fund.
Magistrate
Salary $74,394.00
Benefits $29,603.00
Secretary to the Magistrate
Salary $37,305
Benefits $25,305

We do have vehicles for the Inspectors to use some of them are pretty old but some were new back when these homes depicted were just beginning the inspection process
2003 Ford Taurus Building
2008 Ford Escape Building
2002 Ford Explorer Housing & Planning
2016 Chevy Equinox Housing & Planning
2016 Chevy Equinox Housing & Planning
2006 Chevy Silverado Building
and then there is their costs “The amount spent only for petroleum and auto parts and supplies in 2016 was $6,444.99 and budgeted for 2017 is $7,500.00.
We spent 3 times more in getting “gas” in one year than the fines for the hairnetted Broadway Building paid in fines over 10 years .

In my opinion, this isn’t a bad budget IF WE WERE GETTING DECENT PORTFOLIO OF HOUSING IN THIS COMMUNITY- HOMES UP TO A CERTAIN STANDARD – ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE COURT IN A TIMELY MANNER – A DOWNTOWN THAT IS NOT CLASSIFIED BY THE NEWS MEDIA AS A GHOST TOWN….

but we aren’t in the 44052/ 44055 we have a glut of disgraceful homes and buildings and who is to blame ??? and why are we paying for this???? Because WE ARE PAYING- paying with loss of property values in the millions, delinquent taxes in Lorain, ( note in the PDF file 500 is the classification for homes) found here Lorraine Ritchy Lorain City Delinquent Report by Parcels

Then another couple of million( counting in the fire/ police/ tax collectors salaries, stationary, cell phones , processing etc. having to deal with the abandoned homes and don’t forget we have to pay to have the high grass cut ( high grass cost put toward a property lean ( note) errrr people who are thousands delinquent in taxes are worrying about paying the city for grass cutting) to enable the process….. Over to you Lorain…..

THE SERIES

Part One– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/a-tale-of-two-city-houses-downing-of-quality/
Part Two– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/a-tale-of-two-continued-lorains-cast-offs/
Part Three – https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/a-tale-of-two-a-tale-of-woe-lorain/
Part Four- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/a-tale-of-two-the-who-the-how-why/
Part Five- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/the-tale-of-two-the-how-supporting-cast/
Part Six- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/a-tale-of-two-the-why-land-of-iz-not-woz/
Part Seven- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/a-tale-of-two-do-nowt-get-nowt-lorain/
Part Eight- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/tale-of-two-the-cost-part-one/

Tale of two – The cost – Part one

Part One– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/a-tale-of-two-city-houses-downing-of-quality/
Part Two– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/a-tale-of-two-continued-lorains-cast-offs/
Part Three – https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/a-tale-of-two-a-tale-of-woe-lorain/
Part Four- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/a-tale-of-two-the-who-the-how-why/
Part Five- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/the-tale-of-two-the-how-supporting-cast/
Part Six- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/a-tale-of-two-the-why-land-of-iz-not-woz/
Part Seven- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/a-tale-of-two-do-nowt-get-nowt-lorain/

If nothing else the previous 7 posts in the series has confirmed there has been an ongoing problem for 12 years ( or more) the houses and their ONGOING problems may have gone through 3 administrations heaven knows how many different councils and council members but with ONE Building Dept and the way of non accountability. The only people cited who follow through seem to be the already law abiding property owners, the rest seem to “play the property / enforcement game – IN MY OPINION- based on the research over the years.

There is a cost to all this diseased, decrepit, dilapidated housing and in 2005 – 3 years before the sub-prime mortgage debacle The National Vacant Properties Campaign with the support of the Environmental Protection Agency came up with a 24 page report – 12 years ago just about the time our city was starting to go belly up…
https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/app/legacy/documents/true-costs.pdf
the above report is really worth the read and government with Community Development and Building and Planning surely should have accessed the report

If you ask any Lorainite in the year 2017 they will say this photo from the 2005 report is a familiar site , especially in the 44052 44055 where our poster child houses are located

2005

Cities must address the increasing number of vacant properties, not only because of the negative impact they have on the surrounding community, but because of the numerous costs they impose. They strain the resources of local police, fire, building, and health departments, depreciate property values, reduce property tax revenue, attract crime, and degrade the quality of life of remaining residents. In summary, vacant and abandoned properties “act as a significant fiscal drain on already strapped municipalities, requiring disproportionate municipal resources, while providing little or no tax revenue to municipal coffers.”

As the years passed and we continued our downward slide and lack of enforcement there were other reports written.
http://www.cleveland.com/cleveland-heights/index.ssf/2015/08/abandoned_homes_affect_communi.html
http://www.cleveland.com/rocky-river/index.ssf/2015/08/rocky_river_westlake_hide_vaca.html
Then we get to the 2017 White paper on Blight another must read

For a single home, one can attempt to calculate these costs.
Using the following conservative assumptions the foreclosure of a home will cause a loss of value of at least $130,000 as a result of the following:
1. The home if owner-occupied would be worth $200,000, which is just under the national mediansales price of $235,000. The loss of value to the
home itself is 38 percent, the amount expected by buyers and in the midpoint of the range ofestimates. This is a loss of value of $76,000.

2. Assuming 21 houses within 500 feet. This is
a conservative assumption based on houses that are roughly one-fourth of an acre that have100x100 foot square plots. Thus, there are five
houses on both sides of the affected property as well as another 11 across the street. This number could be substantially higher in urban settings
(condominiums or row houses) and also lower for rural settings or areas where there are not uniform plots or housing on both sides of the street. Each
of these houses experiences a 1 percent decline in home value. For the $200,000 home, that is $2,000. That is a loss of value of $42,000.

3. There are another 12 houses beyond 500 feetbut that are still affected. Recall some studies used the one-eighth of a mile (660 feet) while others showed effects all the way out to 1,000 feet and even further in some to half a mile. For this estimate we are assuming an impact of another 300 feet in all directions, which is conservative given other findings. These impacted houses have a 0.5 percent decline in value, or $1,000. That is a
loss of value of an additional $12,000.

For those who find the methodology of studies that find losses of
2 percent in value of neighboring properties closer and 1 percent
of those farther away more compelling, then the total losses
jump to $184,000. In this scenario the property loss suffered by
neighbors is actually greater than that suffered by the foreclosed
home itself!

http://www.communityblightsolutions.com/files/CBS_White_Paper_2017.pdf
And the latest complaint in Lorain is 330 W 9th Street.
This too was a Fannie Mae dump selling in 2010 for $44,000.00 and dumped by Fannie Mae to a Bayvillage resident just 7 months later for $13,500. and there you have it proof once again the system sucks!!!!

The typical foreclosed home imposes costs of more than $170,000. Approximately $85,000 of this total is directly attributable to a property being vacant and the condition in which that vacant house is kept.
 Over half the total cost of a foreclosure’s impact on neighboring properties comes from the fact that the property is abandoned.
 Foreclosures that involve vacant properties lead to increases in violent crime.  The impact of vacancy on crime increases as the property stays vacant for longer periods, likely plateauing at between 12 and 18 months.
 Vacant buildings are major fire hazards; vacant residential buildings account for one of every 14 residential building fires in America.

Yes there is a municipal cost, a cost to property worth for the surrounding houses BUT there is also a cost I will explore in the next post to the taxpayer of Lorain for the system that enables this system- salaries, vehicles, law courts………. coming up in part two of the broken system. We can’t say we weren’t warned of course we also paid in our taxes for the costs of the reports, whitepapers and studies………..

To be continued …………….

A tale of two- the Why- Land Of IZ not WOZ!!!

Part One– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/a-tale-of-two-city-houses-downing-of-quality/
Part Two– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/a-tale-of-two-continued-lorains-cast-offs/
Part Three – https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/a-tale-of-two-a-tale-of-woe-lorain/
Part Four- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/a-tale-of-two-the-who-the-how-why/
Part Five- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/the-tale-of-two-the-how-supporting-cast/
January 2013 Photo Lorain 365

1. We now know that a property 3620 Clifton purchased in 2011 after five years of being open to the elements was deemed bad enough to be issued a search warrant in Sept 2012-

2. Declared a public nuisance and uninhabitable – the property listed for demolition ( along with two neighboring properties ) Jan 4th 2013

3.Given a reprieve because the “Duo of Will Do” ( Barbee and Johnson) owners pleaded before the Demolitions appeals Board for more time a week later Jan 11th 2013 by that same board . A board that had doubts caved to the “give em a break mentality”

-” and apart from the President who had to recuse himself ( Fire Chief Brown) had previously stated:

” for the record I have personally toured the last two properties (3620 Clifton) and they are a public nuisance. …. these properties are deplorable “

and Chief of Staff Derek Feuerstein ( No vote) we kept 3620 as part of our housing s stock in the City of Lorain.

But to be fair the City of Lorain Building Inspectors were to follow through and make sure the Duo of Will Do” would.

Did they continue to inspect in those ensuing months and years? I asked for all notes, inspections and reports and I received nothing in that regard from April 23rd 2013 through 2016 ??? Did not Mr. Cantu ( now retired- 2017) ever do a cursory contact??? If he did I didn’t receive any documentation .

Lorain 365 blog has its reservations at the time and JUNE 16th 2013

https://lorain365.com/2017/05/14/3620-clifton-avenue-part-three/

Demolition Board of Appeals meetings are held during the week and are impossible for me to attend. At the meeting held February 28, 2013, the owners were given another month to continue their work on the property. They were granted this extra time because they had roofed and secured the house, plus cleaned up the yard.

Since then, 3620 Clifton Avenue has never been mentioned in the newspaper again. I’ve gone by there a few times over the past couple months, but never stopped to take pictures because nothing had changed. When I went by there two weeks ago, I surprised to see that the houses on either side had been demolished recently!

The pictorial tour continued on that Lorain 365 post and the unanswered question from Lorain 365

How long does the City have to let this go on? Are the owners now caught up in the cycle of permit perpetuity? As long as there’s a permit in the window, the City will continue to watch from the sidewalk

AND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION LORAIN 365 IS YES!!!!!!!!

4.April 25th 2013 Mr. Ralph Cantu, the gentleman Building Inspector who first asked for the search warrant had a change of heart and on that date declared to the Demolition Board of Appeals that the roof was nearly completed and he had agreed they Duo of Will do ” were doing what they said they would”.

Mr. Nathanial Johnson – one of the duo declared 4 1/2 months after the initial Demo ruling

“We have only a four by four section left . We tore down the fence and put in three more windows .

Mr. Daniel Rodriguez ( Engineering) Can we make a motion to possibly remove this case from the Board demolition board?

and FAMOUS last words from Mr. Cantu Yes because we could cite him on property maintenance if he doesn’t continue to go on.

http://raunerlibrary.blogspot.com/2010/07/mark-of-hydra.html

” At least for another 4 years – you see 3620 was pushed to the back burner on the blogs – too many other issues with building and inspections reared their collective hydra heads

However in January 2015 this blogger asked Lorain 365 Blog to check out the property and GUESS WHAT , it was still as bad as ever and contacted Mr. Feuerstein as to what was happening with this property where it was in the system and the reply from Mr. Mason ( the then Director of Building Housing and Planning on February 9th 2015

LEON MASON ( no longer with the City of Lorain)
”

As it relates to the Clifton Avenue property (which I’m assuming is 3620 Clifton), it was forwarded to the County Land Bank to begin the foreclosure process. As you may or may not know, the process for demo has changed since the original program, and the county must take possession of the properties….

Due to statute of limitations being reached on some cases pertaining to nuisance inspections from previous years, the cases had to be dismissed. On that same note, the City can again issue notices as well as citations/summons for people to appear in court (e.g. tickets) for housing code violations.

I’m using the data as I type this email, to send letters to property owners whom are in violation of the Untenanted Property Registration ordinance, using the Vacant Property Report………There no longer exists a Nuisance Inspection Task Force; it is code enforcement with hopes on placing a strong emphasis on ENFORCEMENT.”

Sept 2016 and I started asking questions again and it looks like according to the public records request once again April 2016 -3 years after Mr. Cantu we can always inspect .. the property was before the Housing Court AGAIN!!!!!!
….
March 24th-2017 I contacted the Lorain County Auditor because 3620 Clifton had disappeared from their site…. demolished ??? but NO it was still alive and well and was then reinstated…… Can this tale get any better ?

How many heads on the Hydra….

1. a property that was deemed such a nuisance, a health hazard, on par with living in a 3rd world county for “insanitary conditions ” and ” according to Chief Building Official Klinar

This building has been deemed a dangerous building and poses an immediate danger to the public health and safety and welfare mandating summary abatement..

All fixed and abated because of a partial roofing and three windows – all the danger made to go away…. but it didn’t did it and the process starts all over again because according to one piece of paperwork hand written notes Chris Yates building inspector “nothing abated 7.18/16 and again 9/13.16 and still no change 11/22/16 …

May 16th 2017 the bloggers again went to inspect

Apart from this property still standing , the time the effort the frustration of 6 years of ownership with the Duo of Will Do and the 5 years before that … what of the waste of time, man power and sheer in my opinion lack of A decent “enforceable ” inspection process that is not equal across the system. This could be the reason this property on Lexington went from this in those same 11 years

to this

and why for the past 11 years we have had this at the “beginnings of Broadway???
This “expensive ” system to quality of life, to the taxpayers IS BROKEN

We are paying salaries for all these people,, INSPECTORS, JUDGES, FIRE DEPT, BUILDING AND PLANNING,SUPPORT STAFF,POLITICIANS ,AND HEALTHCARE AND MAINTENANCE , VEHICLES YOU NAME IT – THIS IS COMING FROM OUR POCKETS and there is a financial cost to us the tax payer…… and that will be the next item on the “AGENDA”

And we haven’t even touched upon 1348 W. Erie the poster child of Point of Sale

to be continued

The tale of Two – THE HOW-Supporting Cast

Original Image Scott Bakalar

Part One– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/a-tale-of-two-city-houses-downing-of-quality/
Part Two– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/a-tale-of-two-continued-lorains-cast-offs/
Part Three – https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/a-tale-of-two-a-tale-of-woe-lorain/
Part Four- https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/a-tale-of-two-the-who-the-how-why/
January 2013 Photo Lorain 365
Let us just have a quick reminder of the facts of 3620 Clifton.
Sept- 2012 Inspections galore prior to getting a search warrant to inspect the “inside and outside of the property The Health Dept., the Fire Dept and the Building Dept. inspections all agreed , it “constitutes a severe safety and health hazard to the community”.

January 4th 2013– The property came before the Demolitions Board of Appeals and all members present including the councilman Eddie Edwards for the area concluded it was a hazard, dangerous, and eyesore open to the elements filled with trash and vermin….

REMEMBER THESE PHOTOS OF JANUARY 2013 ( Lorain 365) AS WE CARRY ON DOWN THE ‘WAY OF THE 3620″

Because, after the glad handing all around and agreement this property should come down gave way to the “Duo of Will Do – Mr.Barbee and Mr. Johnson who owed at that time $431.00 in back taxes (twice what they paid for the property ) and to date they NEVER HAVE paid taxes

So in the months and yes it has been YEARS this property has been “dithered about the ” Duo of Will Do” DIDN’T and now well $2,964.19 OWED. How is this happening ??? well!!!! you might ask.

Mr. Joseph Barbee and Nathanial Johnson (Duo of Will Do) came before the Demolition Board of Appeals a week after their initial decision of January 4th 2013 to “take it down” and cried have pity pity please. And for 13 pages of testimony on that January 11th 2013 day . I have linked those pages at the end of this post. READ IT AND SEE HOW THE SYSTEM FAILS US-
Chief Brown ( who had to recuse himself) Derek Feuerstein ( Chief of Staff) who tried to pin them down the “missing in action Howard Goldberg ( Prudoff’s Community Development ) and Rey Carrion who pleaded their case very well the cast of characters all of whom had their say and they wanted a “plan” as to how the “$17,000 committed to the project would be spent-
Derek Feurestein at one point asked

DF- Can I ask a question does it really make sense to buy a house for $200?
N. Johnston – Because anything can be fixed- if it was a hazard why would you sell it like that ?
D.F We {City of Lorain} didn’t sell you the hazard – It was the COUNTY AUCTION)

ED> Note AH HA!!! and another character has entered into the story of 3620

Richard Klinar ( Chief Building Inspector was also at the meeting) also stated : The time frame on permits and inspections are controlled by the State of Ohio- the City of Lorain has nothing to do with it we can’t shorten or lengthen

Another cumbersome character the State of Ohio
The Duo of Will DO had a credit card limit of $17,000 for the property
and even Richard Klinar had his doubts
“Just a comment , I find it hard to believe you can replace , electrical , plumbing, heating , roof , siding, windows, doors, drywall and insulate for $15,000

I would have chimed “WHAT ABOUT THE FOUNDATION ISSUES” but by that time you could tell the way this was going the 2nd 2nd chance for the property known as 3620 Clifton As I sat in the audience that day hearing Ralph Cantu (Building Inspector) ask as we were leaving

” I don’t know why you people {bloggers} are so hard on George (Schneider) ( who had also been at the meeting appealing one of his “portfolio of properties coming down) he is such a nice guy!

NOTE TO SELF – maybe a building inspector should be required to inspect properties not like or dislike the property owner.hmmmmmmm

BUT the end result of that meeting the demolition was put into abeyance for another week………… and then from Lorain 365 blog who covered this property from the very beginning …

“It is my understanding that the owners of 3620 Clifton presented an acceptable plan to the Board and will have to bring proof of progress to the next meeting on February 28th.
I will be there.
The work started

Photo Lorain 365
The only way the Building Department knows if these serial second chancers are completing the work to code is if they report back to say the work is done and request an inspection. The Building Department can only drive by and look at the outside of the house from the public sidewalk or an adjoining property (with the owner’s permission).

As long as the outside looks good and the house is secure, there’s nothing else the Building Department can do unless they are invited inside by the homeowners. That needs to change. Stop the repeated prostitution of problem properties in Lorain. Break this vicious cycle before it completely breaks this city for good. It’s time, Lorain.

The pages of testimony
doc into
Doc1
Doc2
Doc3
Doc4
Doc5
Doc6
Doc7
Doc8
Doc9
Doc10
Doc11
Doc12

And four years later

To be continued………………

A tale of two- the WHO, the How- Why?????

Original Image Scott Bakalar

Part One– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/a-tale-of-two-city-houses-downing-of-quality/
Part Two– https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/a-tale-of-two-continued-lorains-cast-offs/
Part Three – https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/a-tale-of-two-a-tale-of-woe-lorain/

We know these houses had to be enabled to end up in this deplorable condition – so just who enabled 3620- Clifton

The information requested on 3620 Clifton turned out to be very enlightening:

This property , according to then Councilman Edwards( January 2013) had been vacant for five years prior to the properties purchase by Nathaniel Johnson and Joseph Barbee for $200 ED NOTEno that is not a mistake two hundred dollars January 13/2011-

it was noted by Demolition Board member, 5th ward Councilman, and neighborhood resident Eddie Edwards that “Before the sale, the house sat empty for about five years, with its doors and windows open and generally falling apart…” and “The new owners also waited a year before taking action to repair it…”

Before this property ended up in “demolition mode “ a number of inspections were done and on September 4th 2012 a sworn affidavit before the bench of Judge Mark Mihok ( remember him)

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/you-be-the-judge-welcome-to-lorain-judge-mihok-and-george-schneider/

Ralph Cantu of the Lorain Building Dept signed the affidavit stating :

“The aforementioned premises presents conditions from the exterior that have become so dilapidated , decayed, unsafe, in-sanitary

(ED NOTE- ‘It is a disease of overcrowding, insanitary conditions and poor personal hygiene, and affects mostly children of developing countries.’ …”

or which so utterly fail to provide the amenities essential to decent living that they are unfit for human habitation…. etc etc.

The search warrant was granted and inspections took place : Three departments inspected this property ( inside and out) on (9/4/12) All three , building, health and fire, declared this property a public nuisance at that January 4th meeting and Chief Brown the President of the Board and all members voted unanimously to declare the property 3620 a public nuisance.

In fact Chief Brown stated on that January 4th meeting over 4 years ago

“Unfortunately , there are some really good neighbors in that neighborhood and they have asked for help in this endeavor. They have lived with this for quite a bit of time . These properties( 3618, 3620, 3628) are deplorable…..

Poor Councilman Edwards would soon have to swallow more than his words as he stated to the Demolition Board of Appeals
” Thank you for your diligence . This has been a problem and a nuisance out there for the last few years . I am glad to see you taking action ….. It has been a real nuisance”

Well the nuisance continued as will this tracking the “talk talk happy talk”

Remember this property had tied up Building, Health Fire Depts. with inspections, court hearings, back taxes , manpower for at least 7 years before this Demolition Board finding 1.4.13 – I wonder if anyone accounts for those costs? And YET May 2017 – it STILL STANDS “WHY???????

To be continued……….