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From: "Teri Rucker" <terirucker@yahoo.com>

Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:06 PM

Subject: RE: [Highland Park] Morningside rapist arrest

>
> If they are truly abandoned and deteriorating, tearing them down and creating a community garden would be a great idea.
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----- Original Message -----

From: Rob Nichols

Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:07 PM

Subject: Re: [Highland Park] Morningside rapist arrest

There were homeless people coming and going periodically from 839 N. Saint Clair during the last year, the house had a broken pipe and water was running down through the house for months and filling up the basement, and there was a huge pile of debris behind the house - old furniture, household items, etc.  I finally had it and lodged a complaint with the city and that accomplished a little bit.  I would LOVE to see 839 and 841 N. Saint Clair razed, and other houses like them.  Bottom line:  we have to make our voices heard about abandoned properties.  Can anyone confirm what Mr. Riggins says about the city being legally bound to tear down abandoned buildings after a certain amount of time?  
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>
> I don't think it's correct, legally speaking, that abandoned buildings
> must always be torn down, but only if they're uninhabitable & condemned.
> Further, if they can be purchased by someone who will rehab them, we
> gain new neighbors & preserve our neighborhood's architectural heritage.
>
> Roberta Shope
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> Any buildings that are abandoned and considered public nuisance and/or dangers to the neighborhood they're in are able to be inspected by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Building Inspection. People from that neighborhood need to call and make a formal complaint to the City about a property or group of properties and request that dept. to do an inspection. The inspector's) will then make a determination as to if the building should be demolished/refurbished, etc. It will also be important to find out who the owner of the properties is/are and put pressure on them to deal with their properties (the city can do this, and the community can also do this if we know who the owner(s) is/are. The first thing to do is to report the address of where the building is to the Bureau of Building Inspection; their website is http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/BBI/
> Especially in this case, if the man who committed the atrocious act of sexual assault was living in an abandoned home on N. St Clair, then that is a matter of serious community safety.
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> If I gave inaccurate info earlier, I apologize; but still something needs to be done about such buildings in OUR neighborhoods that are eyesores and potential hazards of safety.
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If the ELDC boarding's up of the houses works, it seems preferable to losing the architecture. Jessica Miller