The owners of 253 East Washington Street in Knox are facing a $2,500 fine, if they don’t start making visible repairs. The Knox Board of Works recently found the property not to be in compliance.
Director of Building and Code Compliance Kenny Pfost told the board that he sent an order to repair in April of 2019, and put the owners on a schedule to fix the roof and exterior walls in phases before the end of last year. Pfost said the roof was nearly complete, but there wasn’t much progress being made. “Nothing was really getting done, so I scheduled a hearing for today,” Pfost explained. “And also, the yard was not being kept up. There was trash in the yard that we were getting complaints on. Now, since scheduling the hearing, the yard’s been mowed. The trash has been removed.”
Owner Valentin Negoi said the exterior work he promised to do was delayed, after he discovered structural problems inside the house, like missing and cut beams in the basement. “I’m trying to improve that structure, so I can actually work on the exterior,” Negoi said. “Otherwise, I’m going to make a crooked house.”
But Mayor Dennis Estok noted that if the outside work isn’t completed, the inside won’t be protected. He said it also devalues the surrounding neighborhood.
Negoi, who lives in Chicago, said he hasn’t been able to get to the site as much due to the birth of his child, and he hasn’t had much success with the local workers he’s hired. However, he said he has removed about three dumpsters of garbage, and he’s working on the structural issues.
In the end, city officials agreed to create a new repair schedule. Board members decided to impose the $2,500 fine, but said they would be willing to waive it, if Negoi makes substantial progress on the exterior.
