July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Old home set for demolition
Board questions delay in action
A dilapidated house along East Votaw Street may finally be torn down.
Members of the Portland Board of Works have voted to affirm an order by the Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department to raze a house located at 901 E. Votaw St.
The city has been trying to get the property owner to tear down the house on the corner of Votaw and North Boston streets for nearly two years.
"He started working on it but never finished it," Bill Milligan, Jay/Portland Building and Planning administrator, told the board this morning. "It's a real fire hazard."
Milligan said the property owner was first ordered on Dec. 17, 2007, to tear down the house. Since then, he has made some progress on the razing, but no work has been done since July, he said.
"Why would we want to take two years to step up to this thing?" board member Bill Gibson asked Milligan. Normally, property owners are given 10 to 30 days to tear down properties. After that time, the city takes over.
Milligan answered that he wanted to try to work with the property owner, and believed that he would complete the job. Now, the city must pay to have the house razed.
Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, said the city will request a tax lien on the property so the city can recoup some of the cost. The next step is for the city to receive bids for the razing.
Also this morning, board members voted to pay Greg Guerrettaz of Financial Solutions Group, Indianapolis, to complete the annual review of the city's tax increment financing district.
Guerrettaz, who helped the city establish the TIF district and the redevelopment commission, will be paid up to $2,500 for the work. His work will include determining what the increase in assessed valuation in the district has been during the past year and how the city is doing on its bond payments from the Industrial Park Drive widening project.
In other business, board members signed a $21,592 contract with Watson Excavating, Redkey, to extend city sewer services to four homes along Blaine Pike.
Watson submitted the low bid among a total of 12 companies.
that bid on the project.[[In-content Ad]]
Members of the Portland Board of Works have voted to affirm an order by the Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department to raze a house located at 901 E. Votaw St.
The city has been trying to get the property owner to tear down the house on the corner of Votaw and North Boston streets for nearly two years.
"He started working on it but never finished it," Bill Milligan, Jay/Portland Building and Planning administrator, told the board this morning. "It's a real fire hazard."
Milligan said the property owner was first ordered on Dec. 17, 2007, to tear down the house. Since then, he has made some progress on the razing, but no work has been done since July, he said.
"Why would we want to take two years to step up to this thing?" board member Bill Gibson asked Milligan. Normally, property owners are given 10 to 30 days to tear down properties. After that time, the city takes over.
Milligan answered that he wanted to try to work with the property owner, and believed that he would complete the job. Now, the city must pay to have the house razed.
Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, said the city will request a tax lien on the property so the city can recoup some of the cost. The next step is for the city to receive bids for the razing.
Also this morning, board members voted to pay Greg Guerrettaz of Financial Solutions Group, Indianapolis, to complete the annual review of the city's tax increment financing district.
Guerrettaz, who helped the city establish the TIF district and the redevelopment commission, will be paid up to $2,500 for the work. His work will include determining what the increase in assessed valuation in the district has been during the past year and how the city is doing on its bond payments from the Industrial Park Drive widening project.
In other business, board members signed a $21,592 contract with Watson Excavating, Redkey, to extend city sewer services to four homes along Blaine Pike.
Watson submitted the low bid among a total of 12 companies.
that bid on the project.[[In-content Ad]]
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