Citing progress in the cleaning up and repairing of four run-down homes in the 2100 block of 16th Street, the Great Bend City Council voted Monday night to table action on condemning the structures for demolition for 60 days.
The move by the council followed a public hearing and lengthy discussion on the dilapidated houses at 2109, 2111, 2115 and 2119 16th Street. The matter will be back on the agenda for the Nov. 21 meeting, at which time the council wanted to see even more improvements to the properties.
“We don’t want to tear them down,” Councilman Dana Dawson told Ida Luse, who along with her husband Bert own the structures. “We just want them to look nice and be safe.”
Code Enforcement Official Stuart Baker flipped through a series of slides showing what the houses looked like when they were first deemed unsafe and dangerous and what they looked like now. “It looks much better,” he said.
There had been holes in sagging roofs and porches, rotted wood, missing windows, open crawl spaces, overgrown vegetation and assorted debris. Now, two of the buildings have new roofs, collapsing porches have been removed, some painting has been done, trees have been cleared and other improvements made.
“Don’t you think I’ve come a long ways?” said Ida Luse.
“Yes, but you’ve got a long ways to go,” Dawson said.
Luse said she has contractors hired to finish the work. She vowed they would be restored to the point where they would meet city codes.
“These are historic homes,” she said. She apologized for letting them get to this point, but she has had to deal with the death of her daughter, and health problems with her and her husband.
Concerned that the homes had been allowed to deteriorate for so long, the council pressed Luse on her plans for them. “They’ve been an eye sore for 10 years. What we don’t want is an eye sore with a new roof.”
“I am planning with going ahead with the repair and improvements,” Luse said. As for her plans, “I’ll address that when I get them finished,” be that rent the houses or sell them.
She hopes to have the work completed in six months.
Baker said he would keep tabs on the work and report to city officials. Should the council see enough improvement Nov. 21, it could grant another extension.
