The Knox Board of Works members opened two public hearings Wednesday morning to discuss code enforcement at two different properties in the city.
The first property discussed was 6 N. Pearl Street, owned by Lucia Valladares. Knox Director of Building, Planning and Code Compliance Kenny Pfost explained that the property falls under the unsafe building law under IC code which includes that it is a public nuisance, it is not habitable, and it is in a condition that makes it unsafe.
The enforcement issues began in 2016 when an order to demolish was given to the previous owners and then the property was obtained through a tax sale by Lucia Valladares. From that point to January 2022, the owner had submitted renovation plans to the board, and started renovation measures, but had issues with contractors. The board members agreed to extend permits and compliance dates as the owner intended to make the promised repairs to make the structure sound and habitable. However, in the last six years, not much progress has been made.
Engineer Jerry Frost, who provided a report to the board on behalf of Lucia Valladares, commented that significant progress has been made inside and the structure is sound. There are a couple of foundation issues to address. While there are some remodeling issues from a previous contractor, improvements have been made. A contractor that was anticipated to work on the structure mentioned that the house is about 50 percent done and he could complete it yet this year if given the chance.
Mayor Dennis Estok said that many attempts have been made to work with the owner for a long time and no progress has been made.
“You’ve had since 2016 – we’re going on six years,” stated Estok. “It’s a blight downtown. It’s an eyesore.”
After Valladares pleaded with the board to let her continue to make repairs, and mentioned possibly selling the property to the contractor, the board voted unanimously to affirm the demolition order.
A public hearing was held for the property at 204 W. Bender Street, also owned by Valladares. Pfost cited the same Indiana code that pertained to this property. This property has been under code enforcement since 2017 with no work done to it even after orders had been processed to do so. The engineer said the structure was pretty stable and could be built upon. However, the same issues with non-compliance were found with this property.
In the end, the board affirmed the demolition order for the property. Valladares said she will appeal both orders.
