Dilapidated Dougherty Co. homes may be demolished - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Dilapidated Dougherty Co. homes may be demolished

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By Ashton Pellom - bio | email

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DOUGHERTY COUNTY, GA -

You know about the city of Albany's efforts the last couple of years to tear down dilapidated buildings, now eyesores are also a concern in Dougherty County.

One house on Johnny Williams Road is falling apart at the seams.

You can even see the insulation coming out of the wall from the outside.

So are houses on Curtis Street in Dougherty County and on Leary Road.

Dougherty County Code Enforcement officers say they've done all they can to try to get the property owners to clean up the messes.  Now, they're asking county commissioners to go to court to get permission to tear down the homes. 

Dougherty County Attorney Spencer Lee says the problem will only get worse if no further action is taken.

"If you have a building sitting there and somebody comes and breaks one window and it just sits there over a period of time, you can bet somebody else is going to come around and break all of the windows," said County Attorney Spencer Lee.

If code enforcement agents can't get in touch with property owners then the dilapidated houses will likely be torn down and not just because they're an eye sore, but because they can potentially be a breeding ground for crime.

One neighbor of the Johnny Williams Road home told us off camera, the dilapidated house attracts unwanted traffic and illegal activity such as prostitution.

"You can't afford to let dilapidated house exists in residential areas. It brings the property value down of all of the other houses and it tends to increase the chance of vandalism," said County Attorney Lee.

County Commissioners will meet next week to determine whether to authorize the county attorney to go to court to start demolition procedures.

If County officials agree to take action, County Attorney Lee will file paperwork in Superior Court  that will allow the county to take action.

County Officials can take over abandoned and dilapidated properties under the Nuisance abatement ordinance.

 

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