http://www.whiotv....581121/detail.html Posted: 2:07 pm EDT May 17, 2010Updated: 5:32 pm EDT May 17, 2010
DAYTON, Ohio -- Do you have an ugly eyesore in your neighborhood?
With the help of our iWitness7 reporters around the Miami Valley, we tracked down some of the worst eyesores in the region. From burned out houses to empty factories, we investigated why these eyesores are still standing and what can be done about them.
When iWitness7 reporter Robbie Curl of Springfield heard about our search for the worst eyesores in the area, he knew where to take the first picture. It was at an old house on Scott Street.
"It's really sad to see this house that belong to my grandfather and grandmother at one time...sitting the way it does now," said Robbie Curl.
From the broken windows to the peeling paint, the house has seen better days like so many empty buildings in Springfield.
Curl said, "A lot of them get burned. A lot of them sit around and fall apart eventually."
However, the Scott Street house looked good compared to what iWitness7 reporter Judy Erikson found. She took photos of an old farmhouse outside of Troy. The house is stripped of its siding and is surrounded by a yard full of junk.
"It's been like this for two years and it was pretty bad before that, even with people living in it," said Erikson.
Worst of all, this eyesore is just down the road from a school and now stands as a nuisance for all to see as they pass by. Erikson said, "I've been up and down every street in West Milton but, this is the worst I've ever seen."
Other iWitness7 reporters sent us photos. One, of a house torn down in Dayton, but left sitting in a giant pile of trash.
Some of the biggest eyesores in the Miami Valley are not tucked away in a neighborhood or along a country road. One big eyesore is along Interstate 75, for all to see. It is the old Executive Inn Hotel (
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=28252), now mostly covered in plywood and graffiti.
The old motel is one of several properties along the expressway that are a real disaster for the city's image.
However, there has been one victory in the battle against blight. Harrison Township recently tore down the old Parkway Inn after a five-year battle. The demolition was made possible by federal stimulus money.
We discovered that eliminating eyesores is very difficult.
Kris McClintock said, "We just can't go in and mandate that they tear it down. We can mandate that they fix it or repair it, but sometimes, that still isn't enough."
Now the property where the Parkway Inn once stood, is an empty field awaiting redevelopment.
What about those other eyesore properties we found? Our investigation led us to government databases to find the real owners. We learned that the old farmhouse in Miami County belongs to a Celina couple who declined comment on our story.
Other eyesores like the Delphi properties, are tied up in bankruptcy proceedings so the huge factories sit empty.
We found out that the Springfield house on Scott Street was recently purchased by the family who lives across the street. "This neighborhood used to be really nice," said new owner, Deanna Anderson.
Anderson said she plans to fix up the old house and she would like to see other eyesores fixed up or removed.
Robbie Curl hopes this is a sign that some of these eyesore properties captured by our iWitness7 reporters, will be cleaned up someday.
Curl said, "They just need to be taken care of. "
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