Report prompts Lorain to start debris cleanup

Lorain residents living near three houses that were razed and debris left scattered about finally can breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a report by The Morning Journal and quick action by Mayor Jack Bradley.

In the Dec. 28 edition, Bradley acknowledged he was embarrassed by the story because he was under the impression that the properties were cleaned up.

A story and photos from reporter Michael Fitzpatrick showed concerns from residents living near those properties.

We were pleased to hear from Bradley that he would address those issues.

And he followed through on his promise.

The same day as the Dec. 28 story, Bradley ordered the city’s Department of Building, Housing, and Planning to make arrangements to clean up the properties at the corner of East Erie Avenue and Delaware avenues, the 200 block of West 16th Street and another demolished house that he later learned about in the 1200 block of West 14th Street.

Bradley said his “head exploded” when he saw the picture in The Journal of the debris pile in the yard at East Erie Avenue.

He said he was unaware of the torn down house on 16th Street but asked that a picture of the property be forwarded to his office so it, too, could be addressed.

The 16th Street property also was used to dump additional debris, including tires and laundry baskets.

Dumping debris at distressed properties, however, is not unusual.

The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office has a unit that helps find the garbage dumpers.

Unfortunately, some people will see a vacant lot filled with debris and dump more garbage.

In problem areas, authorities will set up cameras to try to catch the people dumping.

Bradley has a message — if they are caught, offenders will be prosecuted.

If the violators are caught releasing hazardous material, the city will charge them with a felony.

But on Dec. 29 and 30, city crews loaded piles of debris at East Erie Avenue to be hauled away.

Once the job is done there, the workers will clean up the West 16th Street property and then go to West 14th Street to clear that parcel.

But, it’s disgraceful that residents have to wait months for the city or private owners to clean up debris from razed houses.

These properties can pose a threat to public health because they serve as a perfect environment for rats and other vermin to gather.

And for weeks, nothing was done at the properties.

In a followup story Dec. 30, Bradley told The Journal that he wouldn’t want the blight in his neighborhood, or any neighborhood in the city.

He did, however, put inspectors in the Department of Building, Housing and Planning on notice that they must do a better job of citing owners who allow their properties to become public nuisances or health and safety issues.

Said Bradley: “I ordered that our inspectors start doing their job and going around the city and finding this blight before I see it in the newspaper. I told them this will not be tolerated any longer.”

That’s good news. Bradley said he discussed the East Erie Avenue property in a managers’ meeting shortly after it burned in November.

The city believed that the property needed to go through environmental testing before it could be cleaned, but later learned that testing was not needed.

Somehow that information did not get passed on to the proper channels and the property remained filled with junk.

Bradley blamed Public Property Manager Lori Garcia for allowing the clean-up of the East Erie property to linger.

But, he also credited Garcia with moving quickly on the clean-up.

Max Upton, director of the city’s Department of Building, Housing and Planning, said the process to remove the debris from East Erie Avenue was complicated because the homeowner was deceased.

The property was considered abandoned, so the city moved to clean it.

As for the former site of St. Joseph Hospital, at the corner of West 21st Street and Broadway, which currently looks like the site of a massive explosion, the city is working to find money to help with the clean-up.

Demolition of the building started in November 2020.

Bradley said the city is waiting for some additional environmental tests.

City officials will apply for some federal brownfield money to aid in the effort.

But, the good news here is that residents who live near the three properties where debris sat for many weeks, can breathe a sigh of relief that the cleanup has started.