“It was my first apartment. I was thrilled,” said Carter.
Recently at the urging of a resident, Carter revisited the complex and found children playing outside where eight dumpsters were overflowing and trash piled around.
“I cried as I rode through that lot,” she said during last week’s council meeting. “It is immoral to have to have that trash and children in the same environment.”
When she contacted city staff, they were in agreement. Acting City Manager Nathan Cahall said correcting the situation became a top enforcement priority.
Cahall called the conditions “deplorable”
“What is upsetting as well is that it has gotten to this point before it was caught,” he said. “We are taking action. We are going to move heaven and earth to clean that place up”
The city issued a nuisance violation and must give the owners time to clean up the issue. That time has expired and it appears property owners stopped paying for trash hauling service, Cahall said.
He said it is a “unique situation all around” because the complex is owned by a private company that appears to be in “habitual non-compliance.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Both city staff and Carter were in contact with a person who said they are the manager, but nothing was done.
The complex on 2.6 acres is owned by Peoples Landmark LLC, according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office.
In March, the company was issued a letter from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office cancelling it’s business entity and stating “this entity may no longer transact business in Ohio.”
The company failed to provide a valid undated statutory agent, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Cahall said the city worked to haul away as much trash as possible on Wednesday and the trash company, Republic, has agreed to pick up what city workers could not. When the owners are found they will be assessed for the cost of the cleanup that has already taken place.
The city has also opened a parallel investigation involving the health commissioner and Cahall said they are contacting regional office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because the owners do receive HUD vouchers.
“We are trying to track down ownership. Folks are paying rent to somebody,” Cahall said.
Calls placed by the Journal-News to the two phone numbers found for Peoples Landmark LLC were not answered.
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