Fairborn Daily Herald
FAIRBORN — The City of Fairborn is moving into its second round of demolitions for 2016. Six residential properties are scheduled for removal as the houses are uninhabitable and irreparable.
City officials said removal of the blighted properties will help to improve the overall safety and aesthetics of the community.
Community Development Director Michael Gebhart said the demolition, which went out to bid in late May, is scheduled to begin near the end of July on the following properties: 2047 Beaver Valley Road, 738 Flintridge Drive, 11 Lockwood Court, 261 Oxford Drive, 248 Sandhill Road and 1645 Wilbur Avenue.
“After reviewing the bids, the contract was awarded to Badger Construction, Inc.,” said Gebhart. “The city has contracted with Badger in the past for demolition services with positive results.”
Funding for the demo was made possible by Fairborn City Council approving a Community Redevelopment Fund to remove blighted, unsafe structures in the city. The contract amount for this round of demolitions is not to exceed $88,860.
In previous years, funding came through the 2013 Moving Ohio Forward Grant, along with components of the Community Development Block Grants received by the city. Demolition of businesses typically take more funding than a residential demo.
City officials feel that Fairborn has been proactive in removing blighted structures over the past three years:
– Number of Demos in 2014: 24
– Number of Demos in 2015: 11 (includes Elder-Beerman removal)
– Number of Demos in 2016: 11 (with plans to complete six more)
City officials said the demolition process is rather extensive, as prior to any removal a number of steps must be followed. A structure must first be found unsound, then multiple attempts, if needed, are made to find the property owner to notify him or her of the code violations. The legal process must then proceed. City officials said in many cases, it takes nearly 10 to 12 months for the process to get to final removal. The city attempts to work with any property owner who wants to make corrections to the violations.
