An unsightly half-destroyed mobile home in an east Emporia neighborhood has yet to been torn down by the city in part because it is unclear who owns it.
Besides it being an eyesore, neighbors in the 300 block of Carter Street have said the remains of the trailer are a safety hazard.
“There are children in the neighborhood who are exposed to this,” said Elaine Gatlin, who lives two doors down.
The property at 302 Carter St. has broken glass inside and outside of the trailer. Insulation, pipes and frames are sticking out. Clothes, toys and tires are scattered about the property. A plastic green Jack-o-lantern sits on top of a big pile of what appears to be the remains of the floor. A toilet and the toilet paper holder is all that remains upright in the bathroom.
To read complete story see the print edition or the online print edition.
justaflushaway (anonymous) says...
cant find the name of the owner to send the bill to?? Clean up the damn mess and charge it to zimmy
September 27, 2010 at 8:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
This is a crock. The city can always figure out what needs done, and can find money to pay for it, when it is one of their little pet projects for the great northwest. But this is a bigger challenge than they can handle....when it comes to a health and safety issue in some poor part of town.
Get out there and bulldoze the place and send the bill to the last owner of record and the people that own the lot. Then use the same power you use on me to force me to mow my lawn or pay you to do it...and pursue it just as relentlessly as you would me.
And I don't care how many times it might have been "sold". The last legal owner is the owner of record unless they can prove otherwise. This is pure garbage!!!!
September 28, 2010 at 2:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
I went to the Lyon county appraiser web site and found the listed owner. why can't anyone else?
September 28, 2010 at 7 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ToxicPink (anonymous) says...
Because there's no easy answer.
September 28, 2010 at 7:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...
just wondering.... is jeremy shapiro a for real journalist, or is he just gonna thru emporia/ lyon county, street by street and dramatically report on all houses? i,ve got a couple to show him in my neighborhood
September 28, 2010 at 11:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
snow (anonymous) says...
Clean it up now, clear it up later.
Easy answer.
September 28, 2010 at 1:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
What was the old saying....possession is 9/10ths? The eyesore and hazard is part of the lot based on previous rental agreements. The mess, the process of cleaning it up, and locating the owner of the trailer should be left up to the owner of the land. The City should not be handling his civil matter but instead doing their job of making sure the landowner follows City Codes.
September 28, 2010 at 1:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Isn't the landlord / owner of the property responsible for the use and maintenance of their land?
The 80 some dollars in taxes were paid in 2009 so someone is laying claim to the property.
If someone dumped a junk car or mobile home on my land I would be responsible for it.
So City of Emporia, send one more letter to the land owner of record giving them 30 days to abate the nuisance , (just like you do on mowing orders), and then remove the problem and tack the cost onto the land owners property tax bill.
If the neighbors want quicker action the Kansas dept of health and environment should be contacted and told about the problem. Don't forget to mention a probable open sewer line and rat infestation.
September 28, 2010 at 2:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
allen (anonymous) says...
Steve Corbin (corby) is my hero
September 28, 2010 at 6:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
Sounds like a nice fixer upper. Is it for sale?
September 28, 2010 at 8:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The owner of the lot is responsible for clean up. It's a no-brainer.
Last year, my tenant left town and left a junk car in the driveway. I called the city and they sent a wrecker to pick it up. The city has a service called Emporia Coimmunity Service and they took care of it. I had to write an explanation of how the car became abandoned, but that's it. I can see where it would be difficult for them to haul that trash heap off, but I'm with Biscuit on this. If this was occurring in the Northwest, it would have been dealt with immediately.
In the meantime, the city should clear it off and charge the owner, especially if it is a health hazard.
September 30, 2010 at 5:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )