‘We don’t wreck, we validate’

A Richmond business owner asked the city to take action on blighted properties.

“If the City of Richmond wants to decay from within, I have to accept it. It’s heartbreaking,” Allstate Insurance Agency owner Richard Lake told the Unsafe Building Commission Oct. 12. 

Lake attended the meeting to share his perspective on a property at 111 S. 11th St. The property is across the street from Lake’s business. Owned by an out-of-state property company, the home was one of three affirmed by the Unsafe Building Commission to be an unsafe, blighted property. 

“People were coming in, living and squatting in (the home),” Lake said. “The city was kind enough to put plywood over the windows and doors where they were going in and out, and of course, they broke those down. The city came back and did a better job, and I appreciate that.”

“In the meantime, I’ve mowed the grass there, I’ve weedeated and sprayed, and if anyone wants any used tires, there are five or six in the back of the house right now.”

Richmond Code Enforcement Inspector Sherrie Richey agreed with Lake that the home needs to come down.

“This property has been a long-standing concern in the community,” Richey said. “There are several missing or broken windows located throughout the property, as well as deterioration of the roof and soffit areas, broken steps, and people constantly dump trash in the back of the house due to it being vacant for several years.”

The owners of the property, Richmond 17 LLC, live in Oregon and are not traveling back to check on the property, Richey said. There is also an outstanding property tax balance of $5,034.97. 

“The condition of this property is particularly concerning given its proximity to Vaile Elementary School, three blocks away; a public park, one block away; and several local businesses, less than one block away,” she said.

“Tear the house down, leave it up. There are 200 to 300 (blighted properties) in Richmond that we tolerate,” Lake said. “We don’t wreck, we validate. We validate, and have to live with it.” 

A second property, deemed unsafe and blighted, is located at 212 S. 7th St. 

The home has severe structural needs and is in “extremely poor condition,” Richey said. There are also open and broken windows.

“The property has over eight enforcement violations written up, and shows signs of mold and asbestos,” she said. “Someone started to work on the property and then just basically stopped. 

“This is a place where children walk to go to the high school or to go down to the park, and it is just really unsafe. Anyone could get into that property.” 

The owner of the property, Armor Properties LLC, has an outstanding property tax balance of $583.49.

The third property that the commission voted as unsafe and blighted, 828 S. 6th St., has severe structural damage to the garage, a poor foundation, and a roof that is caving in, Richey said. 

The owners of the property, Donald Ballenger Jr. and Brian Ballenger, have an outstanding property tax balance of $2,635.78, and the home has missing doors and windows and shows signs of lead-based paint, mold, and asbestos. 

Once a property has been affirmed by the Unsafe Building Commission as an unsafe blighted property, a Continuous Enforcement Order is issued. The property owner is then given a specific amount of time to either repair or remove the unsafe structure. If the property owner(s) or other interested parties do not repair or remove the structure, the City Enforcement Authority is authorized by Indiana Code to proceed with the repair or removal of the unsafe structures. Indiana Code provides that the costs incurred to repair or remove the structure and administrative costs may be recouped by the City by placing a lien against the property.