ASHLAND — A Miller Street property has formally been deemed an unsafe situation.
According to Ashland fire Capt. Mark Miller, a placard and printed notice were posted Monday morning to a fence that surrounds the property at 610 Miller Street.
“When we go to the lengths of placarding a building, that basically says it’s unsafe,” Mark Miller said earlier this week. “It’s a hazard to anyone who would occupy the building, including an owner or first responders.
“When we say those buildings are off limits, that means to everyone short of a demolition crew.”
Below is a copy of the notice posted to the fence at 610 Miller Street. (Credit: Mark Miller)
Ashland City Council took action on April 7 to pursue remediation of the seemingly abandoned industrial property on Ashland’s northeast side — owned by Karedon Inc. out of St. Petersburg, Florida, according to the Ashland County Auditor’s website.
City lawmakers unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing Mayor Matt Miller to enter into a $235,000 contract with Simonson Construction Services for the remediation of the “disaster.”
“It (610 Miller St.) consists of multiple structurally deficient buildings, two of which have recently collapsed, and a multitude of trailers and junk stored on the property,” the mayor said April 7.
The city has made repeated efforts over the years, as well as the past several weeks and months, to contact the property owner via phone, email and letter, the mayor previously said.
It’s alleged there are two individuals who own the property together, but the primary contact has remained unresponsive.
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Debris around property a concern
The weight of heavy snow in January likely led to the collapse of the building’s roof.
“Buildings are designed to stand up in a certain way. When you start disturbing supports they don’t fight gravity,” Mark Miller said. “The collapse of the building is certainly a concern.”
The close proximity of the debris to the roadway is also a concern, he said, for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
“There’s loose roofing material that did not react well during the high wind storms that we had for several weeks,” Mark Miller said. “Anytime debris is airborne, it’s a really big concern where it could come down and what it could hit.
“Safety is our primary concern.”
Given the fact the Miller Street property was a former industrial location, a variety of discarded materials may still remain on the site.
The fire captain said part of the remediation process will include identifying any chemicals that may be present, as well as how they, if any, have been stored.
All remaining utilities to the property have been shut off, he said.
Addressing the situation has been a collaborative effort between Ashland fire, Ashland police, City Council, the law director’s office and the mayor’s office, among other municipal officials.
“I think it’s safe to say everyone is sort of keyed in to keep an eye on the building. There’s neighbors in that area as well that have concerns and I think they’re kind of closely monitoring the building as well,” Mark Miller said.
The mayor told council that approving the ordinance does not mean the city has to move forward with the project. If Ashland funds the clean up, there is no current “legal remedy” to require the property owner to pay the city back, he said.
Andrew Bush, the city’s assistant law director, previously said Ashland can request a lien on the property for the costs incurred to clean it.
“It’s safe to say it’s an ongoing process that’s being followed by many agencies. It’s something we’ve been trying to work on for some time and just not had much success at it,” Miller said.
