CONDEMNED

I own the house at 2502 East Leigh – right next door to the property that was featured in Style Weekly on May 31st. My brother, David and I have some really interesting details about the building. the owner, the criminal element connected to this vacant property, the properties at 512-518 N. 25th, the reason for the increased number of demolitions(more buildings were demolished last year than in the 10 or so previous years combined!!! it isn’t just a coincidence) There is one organization that has and can make the difference – however, they are taking the insurmountable task of preserving, restoring, revitalizing our city neighborhoods with a staff of THREE! This organization needs more volunteers to conduct title searches/property searches/hunting down the heirs to properties, etc. ), funding, more members, etc. Posting comments, questions and photos on this and other sites with alerts about blighted and abandoned properties that have been or will be torn down is great – it gets people talking. however, what could really tip the balance here is if those very same people would volunteer – maybe an hour a week to do some research – i.e. – locate the property owners addresses/phone numbers, call to see if they are indeed the owners listed on the property assessment info., etc. track down the addresses/contact info.on the heirs to these blighted properties – this reasearch takes time and one person cannot do it alone. if you can’t volunteer then become a member of or make a contribution to ACORN – seriously – even if it is only $5.00 – they deserve financial and community support and are good stewards of their donors funding! it is amazing to think how many structures have been saved from the wrecking ball thanks to a tiny group of local preservationists. Call me if you would like to meet up as a group to discuss ways to prevent more properties from being torn down – it is possible. 804-248-8547- mary anne