Local family tired of living next to 'vermin'

Dardenne Prairie resident Tracy Cruz and her 9-year-old son are the victims of a comedy of errors that is no laughing matter. The family is living in an untenable situation with which subdivision trustees and city officials have been grappling.

More than a year ago the unit next to her villa in Edenshire Court, a part of the Bambridge subdivision, burned. The residents of the destroyed property subsequently decamped having held insurance only on the contents – not the structure itself. Further investigation turned up that the mortgage company, GMAC, did not have insurance on the structure and has indicated no interest in taking over the property.

The neighborhood association provides some assistance in the instance where wind damage takes off a few shingles or loosens some siding, but not to the extent that it can afford to tackle a burnt-out shell.

While the ongoing recession got the bottom-line blame for this morass, in the meantime, new tenants have begun moving into the charred structure. Rats, bats, insects, even raccoons and possums prowl the premises. Then, there’s an even more insidious presence making itself known.

“The smell and the mold, I fear, will have long-term affects on our health,” Cruz told the Dardenne Prairie Board of Aldermen on Nov. 4.

Cruz was joined by other residents of Edenshire Court who added to the list of problems cropping up in the year the fire-damaged villa has sat untended.

Pamela and Dave Walsh and Ron Keeling reported having seen wildlife skittering in and out of the structure, but, at night teens have been gathering while, during the daytime, younger children have had to be shooed off the site.

The residents outlined the steps they have tried to pursue to rectify the situation and pleaded with the city to take up the matter.

Already on the case, city attorneys David Hamilton and John Young in tandem attempted to explain the legal process through which the city must adhere in order to declare a property abandoned before it can even begin taking responsibility for demolition.

But, it has taken time to first determine the status of the property and research the avenues available to a political subdivision before it can take over private property. Because no city official had ever encountered a set of circumstances like this before it has been an arduous process. 

Hamilton said notices will have to be published, certified mail sent, hearings held and time constraints followed as prescribed by law before the city can assume responsibility for the structure.

In the meantime, Mayor Pam Fogarty urged the residents to put whatever pressure they can on the lending company, GMAC, to take responsibility.

As the mortgage lender GMAC can foreclose and more easily re-take the property. If the city were to take responsibility for the structure, it would have to be with GMAC’s approval.

Alderman Scott Kolbe (Ward 1) indicated his concern and commiserated with the residents.

“I live in Bainbridge too,” Kolbe said. “Believe me, we’re doing everything we can to address this.”

Going further, Kolbe promised that the city would develop a policy for dealing with abandoned properties should similar circumstances occur again.