City team cleans up properties

For the past 18 months, the PRT has worked with property owners to clean up nuisances like abandoned, burned-out houses or junk-littered yards. McCook Police Chief Ike Brown, PRT team leader, gave a summary at the McCook City Council meeting Monday night on what kind of progress is being made in cleaning up dilapidated lots in the city.

The PRT and the McCook Health Department have worked on about 50 properties so far, with owners removing abandoned, unsafe structures or complying with city code violations, Brown said. He cited the south and east entrances to the city as part of the progress being made.

Although many owners have responded to requests to clean up their properties, some have not.

In some instances, property owners do not want to clean up the property end up giving it to the city. This was the case at 206 West 7th, where bids will go out to soon to demolish the building on that property.

City Manager Kurt Fritsch said that demolition on that property will be paid for with neighborhood stabilization grant funds awarded to the city, when it becomes available at the end of the month. The lot will then be sold.

Other properties are in litigation.

But for the most part, the PRT has been a success in addressing dilapidated or unsafe properties. As the team is made of a variety of city department employees, such as those from water, public works, fire department and public works, this avoids one department being the "hammer" and keeps the team informed of the various issues associated with the property, Fritsch said.

Issues the PRT team has resolved the past 18 months include run-down or unsafe houses, sheds garages and mobile homes, removing feral cats from a property, abandoned buildings damaged by fire and yards filled with trash.

Fritsch noted that some owners pocket insurance money meant for the demolition of burnt-out structures, leaving the abandoned building to slowly fall apart. This causes a hazard to the neighborhood, as well as bringing down adjacent property values. The PRT has been instrumental as a tool the city can use to get properties cleaned up, he said.

Councilman Aaron Kircher asked about liens against properties and Brown, along with Fritsch, explained that liens are placed against properties if property owners are unwilling to address nuisance issues in a timely manner and the city ends up using demolition funds in the budget to clean up the property.

If neighborhood stabilization programs are used to tear down dilapidated structures, such as the property on West Seventh, no liens will be placed against the property.

Councilman Kircher also asked about procedures concerning vacant buildings.

Brown replied that each property is dealt with in a step-by-step process.

In some cases, absentee landlords are grateful to know about city code violations, such as broken-out windows.

But at some point, the city council will have to decide how long to let vacant buildings stand, Fritsch said.