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Neighbors celebrate nuisance property demolition
By J. Patrick Eaken
Press Staff Writer
news@presspublications.com
About 40 East Toledo residents were visibly rejoicing Tuesday as a nuisance property owner surrendered to the City of Toledo’s wrecking ball.
“They are happy. This is a good day for them,” Department of Neighborhoods city code enforcement manager Susan E. Frederick said. “This is a block watch community, and they care about this neighborhood.”
Nuisance property owner Andrew M. Lenz, 35, unwillingly left his property at 1628 Greenwood Avenue while neighbors watched a bulldozer knock the one-story, 111-year-old home down.
“Everybody here is so happy for this thing to come down. It’s like a neighborhood celebration. I told them we need to have a cook-out,” Todd Sergeant said while preparing to watch the demolition with his sister-in-law, Rachel Henricks.
“I’m right here, the third house down, and we started noticing rats, mice. I’m telling you me and (Henricks’) fiancé literally chased them and they came down there to this house. We watched them run into the house,” Sergeant added. “Every neighbor here is cheering that this thing is coming down. We are probably going to start celebrating as soon as they put a shovel into it.”
The Greenwood property has been under nuisance abatement for the past three years, city officials say. Despite requests for renovation by the city and neighbors, orders for nuisance abatement, and criminal nuisance charges filed against Lenz, the nuisance conditions worsened.
“We went to him and asked him to at least fix things, and try to get rid of some of the rats,” Sergeant said. “He stays to himself, he’s real quiet, wouldn’t talk to anybody. He would always come home late at night. I mean, it’s like you’re always trying to avoid somebody, I mean, come on. All we want is our neighborhood to be nice.”
Frederick said Lenz drove a nice automobile, and appeared to be dressed well when arriving home from his employment. Lenz inherited the property from his father on November 4, 2003, and neighbors said at that time the home was in good shape.
Over four years later, a leaking roof and overhangs, broken windows and doors, gutters and spouts in a state of disrepair and shrubs overgrown to the point of blocking passage on the city sidewalk are but a few of the conditions for which Lenz was ordered to make repairs.
“We’ve been complaining for almost two years for this thing to come down. We have rats, there are mice, and we have roaches from it. I mean, the kids have to walk right by here to get on the school bus and the roof is literally falling off the house,” Sergeant said.
“I mean, the stench from it alone. We have an 87-year-old lady that lives right next door that just got out of the hospital for pneumonia and you know she can’t live next to that. It’s totally unhealthy,” Sergeant continued. “I don’t want the poor lady to get sick from it, and we don’t want it bugging her. Everybody here watches out for her.
“Sue, our neighbor behind us, has been here 10 months, and she has been here complaining for 10 months for this thing to come down. We’ve actually asked the homeowner to take it down himself, or at least try to make some repairs, and he won’t do it.”
Frederick said under bench warrant from Toledo Municipal Court and refusing to make repairs, Lenz locked himself in and refused to vacate the premises to allow the demolition of the house. Final orders were posted on the residence on May 1 to vacate on or before May 12 or face criminal trespassing charges. Sources state Lenz and his cat vacated on May 9.
“He was told to leave by Monday at 8 o’clock, and he and his cat, I understand, left,” Frederick said.
Garbage, unwelcome critters
Frederick said no one understood “how bad it was until we got inside.”
Once inside, city workers found waste high garbage piled throughout the house harboring unwelcome critters and other unsanitary conditions.
“I guess one of the neighbors said the health department came over to open the door, and wanted to see inside to see if it was good for the guys to come inside to clean it out before they tore it down, and I guess the health department ran from the house — literally backed away from it because of the smell,” Sergeant said.
“A dog literally killed (critters). I have to throw d-con in my shed just so they will stay away from the house. If you were here last summer, my dogs were being literally attacked by them. I had to move my puppies into Michigan to keep them away from this,” Sergeant said.
Utility kills were completed and the house was demolished Tuesday starting at 11:30 a.m., and was nothing but a pile of rubble just over a half hour later.
Frederick said they have no forwarding address or phone number for Lenz, although he still owns the property and will get billed for the demolition.
Neighbors said they had seen Lenz within the past week, but Sergeant believed he fled to North Carolina. He could not be reached by The Press, either.
Frederick admitted that the 3-year long process of getting to demolition is frustrating. The city has 10 inspectors, and all of them have to file in court.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s taken this long, but once it’s in court we can’t interfere with the court process. Then he went bench warrant, and right now there are 1,600 people bench warrant on housing violations, so it’s very frustrating,” Frederick said.
“It’s disappointing when you can’t do things faster, but they have property rights and you have to respect them.”
Public Service Manager Kristin Cousino and Streets, Bridges, and Harbor Commissioner Dave Welch said the city is demolishing about 300 homes a year, up from 240 during the final year of Mayor Jack Ford’s administration.
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