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Communities struggle with dilapidated structures

First in a series

Editor's Note: Abandoned houses in communities can become eyesores when these once occupied houses are not maintained and become dilapidated.

Rotten boards, broken windows, and out-of-control vegetation can be the same as a welcome mat for rodents, unlawful activity by criminals, and an overall public safety concern.

Every community in the county bears the same burden of how to handle such properties — particularly smaller cities with limited resources that include physical laborers.

This series will look at the issue and how individual communities attempt to manage the problem.

Staff reporter

Driving down Main Street of Burns, it is obvious that it is a community with success stories — a new community center, bank, and recent renovations that now house the city office and library, to name a few.

With a "can do" attitude, the community of a few hundred people are known for rolling up their sleeves and getting projects accomplished.

Like other communities, Burns City Council struggles with a small budget and what sometimes seems like insurmountable issues.

Even though Burns is the fastest growing community in the county, abandoned and dilapidated houses line city streets as a reminder of those who came and lived for a while, and moved away.

For Burns Mayor Mary Glenn and the council, those property owners are not targeted.

"It's not something we usually go after," Glenn said. "It has to get pretty bad for us to take action."

The city's building codes and enforcement regulations are the standard of most communities in Kansas — if it becomes a dangerous structure, unfit for human habitation, or in disrepair or structurally defective, the city can require the owner to clean up.

When properties are brought to the attention of the council, the owners are contacted and asked to take care of the situation by either fixing it up for proper use or removing the structure.

"All we ask is that they (the property owners) let us know what they're doing," Glenn said.

Max and Cecilia Kennedy have lived in Burns for 14 years. They purchased the house next door to them from the former postmaster's widow.

"We know it needs to be removed," Cecilia Kennedy, a former city council member, said.

"Our goal always has been to remove the structure," Max Kennedy said.

Razing of the property began last year. The couple went to the city council and told members about their plans. The Kennedys had hired local people to tear down and remove the structure, sometimes piece by piece, so parts could be recycled.

In May, they received a letter from the council because work had begun but was not progressing. This upset the Kennedys because they felt they were being singled-out by the council.

"There are other property owners in town who have taken more than 10 years to remove dilapidated structures without recourse from the city," Max Kennedy said.

Another concern of the couple is when the city council condemns property, forces people to move, and then allows someone else to move back into the property without making the necessary improvements to make the residence livable.

"This happened at a house near us," Max Kennedy said. "The people are still living in substandard conditions."

When asked about the Kennedys' situation, Glenn responded.

"We've tried the best we can to treat everyone as fair as we can," she said. "We try to follow the ordinance. If property owners want to work with the city, we try to accommodate them."

The Burns city budget does not have much wiggle room — particularly for unplanned expenses such as taking on dilapidated properties. With three part-time city employees, there is no possibility of the city razing condemned properties.

The Kennedys hope to have the structure removed by fall.

In the end, they and Burns officials want the same result — an attractive, wholesome community in which to live and raise children.

"All we want is to be treated fairly," Max Kennedy said.

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