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Manchin tours dilapidated structures
Gov. Joe Manchin, center, talks with Commissioner Scott Bias, left, and Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe, as he tours dilapidated structures in Huntington Monday, March 1, 2010.
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HUNTINGTON -- As Gov. Joe Manchin toured several dilapidated structures in Huntington on Monday morning, he said there is plenty of evidence supporting two bills he wants legislators to pass.
House Bills 4034 and 4038 both provide cities legal tools to eliminate abandoned or burned-out properties and recover some of their expenses.
"Every city, I don't care how big or small, has these problems," Manchin said. "We are trying to give you all the ability to clean up and make things happen as quickly as possible."
House Bill 4034, known as the vacant registration bill, passed the House on Feb. 17 and was introduced in the Senate on Feb. 18. It has not yet moved out of the Government Organization Committee. The bill would give cities another tool to help track vacant properties and gives them some local autonomy in the registration process.
House Bill 4038, known as the debris removal lien bill, passed the House on Monday. It would allow counties and municipalities to hold insurance proceeds in order to ensure that debris resulting in fire damage is cleaned up. A lien also could be placed on the proceeds and be removed when either the debt is paid in full or when the damage is repaired.
Manchin called his lead counsel and asked for clarification about properties with and without insurance after briefly stopping at a boarded-up apartment building in the 100 block of 6th Avenue.
Huntington Fire Chief Creig Moore said a fire burned the building's interior in 2007, and neighbors have been complaining about recent break-ins and the instability of the structure.
Charles Holley, Huntington's executive director of Development and Planning, told Manchin the owner collected the insurance money after the fire and did not use it to repair or tear down the building. It is expected to cost the city about $40,000, Holley said.
"Does it have any value?" Manchin asked. "Because we need to be able to recoup costs."
That's when Manchin got on the phone and asked his counsel how to address such problems because there likely cannot be any retroactive reach from the bills, he said. But he said the ability to place liens and hold insurance payments should help.
"We should give the (owner) a chance to pay back the city in a reasonable time, and if not, put it on the courthouse steps for sale (for tax liens)," Manchin said. "I would like to put a little more teeth to the city."
If the bills pass the Senate, he said he'll sign them and give cities the green light to take action. Without the bills, he said properties that pose hazards to safety and harbor drug and criminal activity will remain.
The tour also included a burned property in the 1000 block of 5th Street West that city officials said was a suspected meth-lab fire. They also saw a home in the 2000 block of 10th Avenue that has twice been the target of arson in the past few months. Moore told Manchin that such properties could still burn and pose further risks to firefighters who are called to the scene.
According to Holley, there are 155 properties on the city's "extremely dilapidated" list, with hundreds more nearly there.
"We can put a lien on a property, but in most cases, they are abandoned," Holley said, adding that when a primary lien is paid, it doesn't cover the city's costs. "A few years ago, we spent $500,000 (to clean up properties), and only got $20,000 back.
"It's taxpayer dollars going toward private-party issues. If these bills go through, they will help us immensely," Holley said.
The tour also included a commercial property, the old Nelson grocery store, on the northwest corner of 7th Avenue and Hal Greer Boulevard. As Manchin peered into the dirty windows, Holley said, "When you come to Marshall University, this is what you see when you come up from the underpass."
City Councilman Nate Randolph told the governor about the city's recent success through the new Land Bank Program. During the fall tax lien sale, he said Huntington bought liens on a number of properties. If they aren't redeemed, the city eventually can take ownership and get the properties cleaned up. But Manchin said Huntington needs the authority to act faster.
"These bills ... are because of the city of Huntington and the fight they've been in," Manchin said while standing on the steps of the Fairfield house burned by an arsonist. "These bills would give them the resources to fight."
He also talked about the population shift that has led to more properties becoming abandoned or left unrepaired by negligent owners or landlords. Those who still live here, he said, deserve a better quality of life and chance for a positive future.
"You have to clean this type of stuff up if you are going to bring (people) in to look at (the city)," Manchin said. "We are trying to give you the ability to clean up and make things happen as quickly as possible."
Mayor Kim Wolfe said without the help of legislation, it is very difficult and costly to clear properties on a timely basis.
Before leaving, Manchin stopped to visit a Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity site in the 2700 block of LaTulle Avenue in the Highlawn neighborhood.
This week, 12 students from Boston College started their week with the Collegiate Challenge, which is an alternative break program. After hearing a proclamation from Wolfe and meeting Manchin, student worker Andrew Basler said it was a pretty unexpected surprise.
"It's a big deal," Basler said. "It enforces the reasons we are coming down. We're happy to come and do it anyways, but it really makes it more exciting."
Manchin said he added the stop because it shows the potential use of property once it is cleared.
"It really ties in with the tour in that you would have more building lots where Habitat can take and give people the dream of home ownership," he said.
View Huntington's
demolition list online
Ever wonder who owns that dilapidated, burned-out house you see on your drive to work?
There are now 135 properties on Huntington's demolition list.
Check out our map database of the list at www.herald-dispatch.com. The database includes photos of all the houses and information such as the date the houses were added to the list and the owners of the houses. The information is maintained by the Office of Development and Planning.
To access the database, go to www.herald-dispatch.com. Click the News tab, then Data Library, then Dilapidated Housing.
Our Data Library page also includes databases on Cabell County deed transfers, restaurant inspections and more.
