Breaking News
Local News

Urban Renewal Authority takes no action on burned building

Members cite demo lien for 16th Street property

By Evan Bevins 3 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Sitting as the Urban Renewal Authority Tuesday evening, members of Parkersburg City Council took no action on the proposed purchase of a 16th Street property where a house burned over the weekend.

The owner of 2020 and 2020 1/2 16th St., Florida resident Jonathan J. Gonzalez Capella, applied to sell the property to the city for fair market value, which was appraised at $13,000 after the estimated $20,000-plus demolition costs were deducted.

But the city just got a bill of more than $22,000 to tear down both buildings after the main structure caught fire Saturday evening and was razed, along with the garage behind it, in an emergency demolition. The fire is under investigation.

That cost will now be attached to the property as a lien. Given that, council President Zach Stanley said he didn't think it would be a smart investment by the city to pay the original fair market value price.

"I'd be happy if he'd be willing to donate that property," Stanley said.

City Planner Connor LaVelle said he had spoken with the owner, who inherited the property, and he had indicated he would still be willing to sell it. LaVelle recommended the city consider other offers.

"Right now, there is an opportunity to work with the homeowner to acquire this property," he said.

LaVelle said the demolition lien plus other city and state liens might make it difficult for the property to do anything other than sit vacant in the foreseeable future.

Councilman Mike Reynolds pointed out that the neighborhood is nicer than areas where the URA usually purchases dilapidated property.

"(That house) was the black eye of the neighborhood, really," he said.

The URA took no action on the application, but members instructed LaVelle to engage in further talks with the owner.

Earlier in the meeting, the authority voted 8-0, with Councilman Bob Mercer absent, to purchase a dilapidated property at 1603 Covert St. for a fair market value of $2,000. The projected demolition cost is $5,000.

Prior to convening as the URA, council held its regular meeting.

During the public forum, Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Mark Lewis asked council to consider allocating $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the agency. He said they lost an estimated $400,000 in revenue because of COVID-19 and their earnings still haven't returned to pre-pandemic levels. The money would be used for advertising, marketing and renovations to the new visitors center at the former Point Park Marketplace the bureau purchased from the city.

Council unanimously approved resolutions reappointing six members to the WVU Medicine Camden Clark Board of Trustees and applying for a $25,162 federal grant for 10 movable security cameras and related equipment. They also voted 8-0 to pass the first reading of an ordinance amending pay classifications for police patrolmen and firefighters with the first class designation so their full salary would be factored in to cost-of-living raises.

If approved on final reading in August, the measure would add 1 cent to the hourly pay of affected patrolmen and 2 cents for affected firefighters. The total annual change to the budget would be a little more than $1,800.

Starting at /week.