Lincoln Resident Complains About Dilapidated Buildings

LINCOLN — A Lincoln resident addressed Lincoln City Council last week complaining about five dilapidated properties on West Rogers Street.

Roy Gotter of 200 West Rogers St. said he wanted to bring the “eyesores” and “ordinance violations” to the attention of the Council.

Gotter said the properties at 103, 107, 109, 113 and 115 W. Rogers St., are located across the street from his house. Gotter said the properties have broken windows, exposed wires, holes in the floors, standing sewer outside and obnoxious odors.

“This is harboring roaches, mice, fleas and mosquitoes,” Gotter said.

Gotter pointed to Chapter 5 in the city code that deals with maintenance of real property. According to city ordinances, such conditions are not allowed in the city and the property owner is to be notified to clean up the violations within seven days. City code also states that properties that are not cleaned up and maintained are subject to being condemned, Gotter said.

“I would like to see these properties either brought up to code for habitable purposes or completely tore down,” Gotter told Council members. “It is an eyesore for the beauty of the city, very unsafe and harboring animals that don’t belong in residential neighborhoods.”

The Council accepted Gotter’s statement without a response during the public comment period of the meeting.

After the meeting, Lincoln Mayor Doug Hutchens said the property owner has been cited multiple times. Demolition permits also have been pulled for the properties but nothing has happened yet, Hutchens said.

According to Washington County property records, Stewart Enterprises, 2001 W. Highway 412 in Siloam Springs, owns several pieces of property on that side of the street. Records show Stewart Enterprises owns 105, 107, 109, 111, 113 W. Rogers St. There were not any records for 115 W. Rogers St.

Records show the owner of the properties as James D. Stewart in 2003.

Hutchens said Stewart is the same person who owned the Town House apartments in Lincoln. The city filed suit against Stewart in 2018 because of multiple documented problems with the apartment building at 119 N. Carter St. Circuit Court ordered Stewart to repair or tear down the building but Stewart failed to meet the judge’s deadline. The court then issued an order allowing the city to demolish the building.

The city paid $45,000 to raze the building on Sept. 4, 2018, and has placed a lien on the property to try to recoup some of the costs. The building had multiple problems, as outlined in reports by city officials, including concerns for safety of tenants and firefighters if the building caught fire.

Some of their main concerns were broken windows, trash and debris, leaks, mold, failing electrical outlets, lack of plumbing, ventilation and dysfunctional heating and air units.