City authorizes seven house demolitions

Editor’s Note: Links to properties contain written information on structures and photographs of conditions at those locations.

During Monday’s meeting of the Henderson City Council, members authorized the demolition of structures at the following addresses:

Structure at 962 Harriet Street – James Woodlief of Henderson, North Carolina, owner

Structure at 228 Main Street – BW & Company Properties LLC (Bobby G. West and Stacy West) of Kittrell, North Carolina, owners

Structure at 203 Main Street – Danismine Corporation of West Hempstead, New York, owner

Structure at 329 Arch Street – Deryl von Williams of Henderson, North Carolina, owner

Structure at 447 Winder Street – John P. Allen of Jersey City, New Jersey, owner

Structure at 715 Vaughan Street – Danismine Corporation of West Hempstead, New York, owner

Structure at 884 Lamb Street – Danismine Corporation of West Hempstead, New York, owner

As the council worked its way through discussion of the seven structures slated for demolition, member Mike Inscoe asked if the Danismine Corporation in particular held any assets.

City Code Enforcement Director Corey Williams was not aware of the corporation’s financial holdings.

City Attorney John Zollicoffer commented that the city could pursue a judgment against owners of the condemned properties in order to go against any other properties or assets the corporation may hold.

Member Mike Rainey asked if the properties have outstanding taxes.

Williams commented that “they usually do”.

Zollicoffer added that the tax collecting agency has the right to foreclose within ten years and that a civil action can be brought within three years.

City Manager Ray Griffin told members that there are several tracts of land in Henderson with demolition liens on them. He indicated that the money would most likely never be recovered. He expressed the hope that such properties could be repackaged with revitalization grants or community development block grants.

Griffin called public money used for cleaning up abandoned structures “a terrible expense the public bears”.

It remains to be seen if and how the city will fund this latest round of demolition approvals. Previously to Monday evening’s meeting, there were twelve sites on the list of previously approved demolitions, including the multiple structures of the former Beacon Light Apartments complex. As for the city’s demolition budget, $11,000 of the city’s fiscal 2011 budget has already been spent, with a contract for spending the difference already waiting for approval from the office of the City Manager.

Inscoe asked if any could be burned down as a training exercise for the Henderson Fire Department. Griffin assured the council member that the possibility was considered whenever possible, and Zollicoffer expressed concerns regarding proximity to other buildings as well as laws regarding asbestos removal as presenting problems to that solution.

Rainey asked if the city has the equipment to take down these structures. Griffin said that he has serious concerns about reallocating workers from the public works street division (thereby not getting work on the streets done), and he also had concerns about those workers performing tasks for which they are not trained.

Griffin said that he thinks the idea is good, but in practice the issue of liability to the worker and to the property owners “really does scare me”.