Parkersburg City Council, Urban Renewal Authority meet

Resident praises demolition of 39th Street structure

PARKERSBURG - Parkersburg City Council received a thank you Tuesday from a neighbor of a recently demolished property and voted to apply for funding to enhance the pond at City Park.

Karen Kibble placed a box of donuts on the council dais during Tuesday's meeting to show her gratitude for 1334 39th St. being torn down a few weeks ago.

"This is a major thank you," she said.

Kibble and others have asked city officials in recent months to take action on the house, whose carport roof had collapsed. It had become an eyesore in the neighborhood, homeless people were allegedly squatting in it and a large snake had been seen on the property.

Mayor Tom Joyce gave the credit to fire Chief Jaon Matthews, Engineer Adam Stout and City Attorney Blaine Myers. Kibble said they should be sure to get a donut.

Council as the Urban Renewal Authority voted to acquire the property by eminent domain in 2020, but the process had dragged due to efforts to contact all heirs with an interest in it.

In September, Joyce said during a council meeting that he would put it before the Building Enforcement Agency to demolish the property and place a lien on it if a council member requested it. Councilman Ray Eubanks did so, but city officials elected to act even before the BEA meeting.

"After the recent neighborhood outcry, Chief Matthews and Adam Stout revisited the site and determined the deterioration merited immediate emergency demolition," Joyce said after Tuesday's meeting. Myers "reviewed their statement of facts, pics and Adam's opinion as to structural integrity."

The council meeting lasted just over 10 minutes, with council unanimously approving one resolution setting the last two regular meetings of the year for Dec. 12 and 19 due to the Christmas holiday and another authorizing Joyce to apply for a $227,439 federal land and water conservation grant to replace the seawall and sidewalk around the pond in City Park.

The cost for the work is estimated at around $900,000, but Joyce said the city can only apply for an amount it can match. Council appropriated $227,439 for rehabilitation of the pond at either City or Southwood Park last month.

After council adjourned, members immediately reconvened as the Urban Renewal Authority.

Instead of accepting an offer of $4,000 from Deirdre Prince of Prince Rentals to purchase 1714 19th St. from the authority, they voted 7-2 to ask a realtor to sell the property for them. Prince, who was unable to attend the meeting, had said she wanted to renovate the house then sell or rent it.

"This house is nice," Councilman Mike Reynolds said. "I don't see why we would sell this for less than $20,000."

Councilman J.R. Carpenter was joined by Councilwoman Wendy Tuck in opposing the motion.

"It's not about maximizing what we can make on it. It's about getting it back on the tax rolls," he said.

They voted 7-2, with Reynolds and Eubanks opposed, to accept the donation of 1712 Latrobe St. but will wait to make a decision on whether to demolish it. A vote of 7-2, with Councilwoman Jesse Cottrille and Councilman Zach Stanley opposed, was made to accept the donation of and demolish 1807 Beaver St.

No motion was made and therefore no action taken on an application to sell 4828 First Ave. to the authority for the fair market value of $5,000.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newandsentinel.com.