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Fayetteville orders house with no toilet, no power, demolished

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

Is a house without an inside toilet, without electrical power and with holes in the outside walls unfit for human habitation? For perhaps the first time ever, Fayetteville officials have condemned an occupied home and ordered it torn down.

A representative of the property owner asked city officials to condemn the property, which forces the current tenant at 245 Church St. to move out within 15 days, officials said.

Thomas Stephens, a county commission candidate in 2002 whose mother Cathryn owns the house, has agreed to demolish it and has already sought bids for the work.

The condemnation gives the last tenant in the house 15 days to move out, said city building official Tony Haponski. Haponski placed the condemnation notice at the residence Monday.

Stephens agreed that the house needed extensive repairs but said he didn’t have the heart to kick out the tenant whom Stephens said was a long-time Fayette resident who lived on a Social Security check and paid $100 a month in rent.

“If I’ve asked the guy once I’ve asked him a thousand times to try to find another place to live,” Stephens said Tuesday morning, noting that there aren’t other options in town at that price range. If the house lacks running water or power, it’s because Henderson failed to pay the utility bill, Stephens added, noting that some persons had become accustomed to using the bathroom in the back yard.

According to an inspection conducted by Haponski in September of last year, 22 housing code violations were found including the lack of a toilet, deteriorated floors, and windows in disrepair. Also, Haponski noted that exterior wall covering, sheathing and insulation were missing from parts of one wall, allowing outside light to penetrate through.

Stephens said since he has moved back to Fayetteville, he has spent more money on making repairs to the house, though he admits, “It doesn’t look like it.”

A new porch has been added to the home and new electrical work was done “because I was afraid the dang thing would catch on fire,” Stephens said.

Stephens also said he hasn’t moved as quickly on the demolition project as he hoped because he has been tending to a new 6-month-old baby in addition to his two other kids and his in-laws who have been in poor health.

The city’s investigation into the property began after an Aug. 14, 2003 complaint letter from Derryll Anderson, who lives in the area. She complained that drug activity was occurring at the residence and the house was in disrepair.

Stephens said he too lives in the area and he doesn’t want drug and other criminal activity in the neighborhood. Haponski said the police department was also notified of Anderson’s complaint.