Homeowner pleads to stop demolition
HARTINGTON — A local woman who is slated to have her home razed, gave an impassioned speech to the Hartington City Council Monday in an effort to save it from the wrecking ball.
After a half-hour discussion Monday between homeowner Sherry Bear, city council members, and more than a dozen of her neighbors, the Council voted unanimously to deny her appeal and demolish the house, which they have deemed as a public health risk and a public nuisance.
Since June of 2019, the city has approved six separate resolutions for a property abatement to allow the city to go onto her 401 S. Aberly property to clean it up and then charge the cost of that work to Bear.
Each time the city has gone on the property to clean it up, the condition deteriorates again, however, Council members said.
The Public Health Board recently toured the property and determined it was unfit for human habitation.
'The inside of the home was in very rough shape,' said Hartington Mayor Mark Becker, who is a member of the Public Health Board. 'There were probably even more problems the second time. It's gradually getting worse and worse. At that point, it was decided it was an unsafe home.'
Becker said after the Health Board's second visit this summer, the city then followed the ordinances it has in place, and filed notice that she had 60 days to remedy the situation.
'The inside of the home is uninhabitable. Sherry's been living in her car, not living in the home — even in the winter,' Becker said. 'After those 60 days, no improvement has been made. I think it's actually gotten worse.'
Bear told the Council Monday she is working to make improvements.
'I have been cleaning it up. It's a perfectly good house. There is no reason to tear it down,' Bear said. 'I've been working on it for 60 days. Stuff has either been going out to the garbage or it's been going to Laurel (recycling center.) I'm taking care of it.'
She suggested instead of tearing down the house..........
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