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Family agrees to demolish rundown home
Published 11:52am Wednesday, June 27, 2012City delays razing Pine St. home
A family member representing the owner of an abandoned home at 503 Pine St. NE has agreed to demolish the structure.
During a public hearing Tuesday, Decatur resident David Richard said his father-in-law, who purchased the home three years ago at a tax sale, said he wasn’t aware of the problem until a story was published in a local newspaper earlier this month.
Since then, he has contacted city officials and contractors about having the home demolished.
“We want to do the right thing,” Richard said. “There’s no way to repair the house… It’s not an option.”
Richard said his father-in-law, William Chunn, has had health issues since Thanksgiving of last year, which has kept him from taking action to clean up the property.
Richard said he’s now in the process of getting quotes on having the home demolished. He didn’t give the council a specific time frame for demolishing the house.
Since the home was purchased in a tax sale, City Attorney Larry Madison said the city may need to do a title search to see if there are any other homeowners that need to be contacted.
He recommended a delay in taking action on the home to give them a chance to research the issue.
Department of Development director Jeff Johnson said the home was purchased at May 5, 2009, but Richard said his family hasn’t received a deed on the property from the State of Alabama.
Madison said the family would have to apply with the state to receive the deed.
The council unanimously decided to table the issue for at least 60 days before taking any action on the home.
Until that time, a nearby resident asked the council if something would be done to clean up the land around the abandoned home. Madison said he would discuss the issue with Richard to get the property cleaned up while the family is planning to demolish the home.
