City to raze 22 houses
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on November 18, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/ETHAN SMITH
This property at 305 W. Mulberry St. is one of the condemned houses to be demolished by the city.
Goldsboro will begin the informal bid process for the demolition of 22 properties, City Council members decided at their meeting Monday night.
The dilapidated dwellings will be demolished because they do not meet the city's minimum housing standards, building codes Inspector Allen Anderson said.
Anderson said ample notice has been given to property owners, but that the houses remain in disrepair, have drawn complaints from the public and have caused problems for the police.
"They either don't care or don't have enough money to fix the structures," he said.
Three of the houses are in Goldsboro's historic district. Goldsboro has already demolished 16 properties in disrepair this year, and has $66,000 available for the demolition of the remaining properties.
An estimated $179,950 is needed to demolish all 22 properties. The city will prioritize the order of the homes on the demolition list to take down the worst offenders first.The available funds will pay for the demolition of about 10 of the 22 properties, Anderson said.
Councilman Chuck Allen made a motion to allocate the remaining $100,000 to complete the demolition all at once, but withdrew the motion after City Manager Scott Stevens said it would be wiser to give Anderson two to three months to gather exact bids for demolition costs.
"Most of them are real bad eyesores to the community," Councilman William Goodman said. "I don't think anyone on this council would want to live next to one of these."
One of the historic homes, known as the M.J. Best-Mangum House, has been condemned since 2005. Councilman Bill Broadaway said a decision needed to be made on whether to save or to demolish the structure, which he said has been condemned without action for too long.
The council also authorized the city to enter with a contract with Kimley-Horn Associates for the $82,000 for the design of Phase II of the Stoney Creek Enhancement Project.
Director of Engineering Marty Anderson said Kimley-Horn will initially complete 60 percent of the design for the project, and Goldsboro's engineering department will approve the design plans before any further steps are taken.
The project area includes 1,870 linear feet from U.S. 13/U.S. 70 to Royall Avenue.
During the work session prior to the regular council meeting, Assistant City Manager Randy Guthrie discussed the need for an addition to the Goldsboro Police Department to allow for additional evidence storage.
After weighing various possible designs, Guthrie said the city will put out a request for qualifications for architects. This will allow the city to analyze various costs proposed by different architects. Guthrie will then return to the council with a price for the project, a recommendation and a request for the allocation of money.
City officials also are considering putting a lien on four downtown properties to create facade fronts to upgrade the appearance of the buildings.
The properties -- 141, 143, 145 and 151 N. Center St. -- are in disrepair, and the city is looking at renovating the fronts in connection with its Streetscape project.
One property, 145 N. Center St., has more than $100,000 in tax liens on it, and City Attorney Jim Womble said the city has foreclosed on the property but will be unable to sell it due to the liens, but the city can "fix it up and let it sit there."
No action was taken, but council members said the issue will be discussed at future council meetings.