Decatur house discussed for demolition

At the Decatur Board of Works meeting, Building and Zoning Superintendent Curt Witte explained that his office had been informed about a house on Dierkes Street that was in need of examination from the owner’s power of attorney. He explained that the home belonged to a person who has had multiple strokes and who now resides in a nursing home and that the home was in a lackluster state.

“Upon entering the house, there were several structural damages,” said Witte as we showed photos to the board members. “In some spots the wall pulls away from the ceiling. Here a step on the floor would sink about four inches. In the corner bedroom there is a gap between the floors and the wall. In the back bedroom there is a hole at the rear exterior wall. I have never seen a house structured like this.”

Witte continued to explain that the house was officially condemned on the 27th of February, but it was not officially posted until last Monday because they wanted to talk with the homeowner first.

“There is no saving this house,” stated Witte. “It would cost more to fix everything than it would be to just tear it down and start over.”

Witte then requested official permission to demolish the house.

There was some discussion within the board about whether this was something they could actually go ahead and do. City Attorney Anne Razo explained that she would like to ensure that the power of attorney was officially able to speak for the owner of the property prior to moving forward with a demolition. This would ensure that the rights of the homeowner were not infringed upon. It was acknowledged that no communication has taken place directly with the City and owner yet.

With this communication being the contingency, the demolition of the house was given full approval by the board.