City Commission to discuss vacant, eroding home

City Commission will discuss the vacant and eroding home in the 2300 block of Union Avenue during their meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13.

"Vacant structures, especially those with damage, are an important concern of the City," said Code Enforcement Manager Lora Nelson. "Vacant structures that go without maintenance and attention can lead to an increase in blight and crime in a city."

According to the City Commission meeting Agenda Report submitted by City Attorney Stephen Thies, 2310 Union Ave. was built in 1973 and is a wood frame, three-bedroom home with brick veneer and a pitched shingle roof.

The vacant property is in the process of foreclosure. A section of the foundation on the northeast corner of the home has settled due to water erosion and caused the brick veneer to separate from the home.

Nelson said it appears the damage to the property came from a small water leak near the front garden hose connection that caused a small section of the home to settle.

"This type of settlement is common with water leaks and does not compromise the overall structural integrity of the home to the degree that it can be declared unsafe and be ordered demolished," she said. "The settlement has caused the brick veneer on the outside of the structure to crack and pull away from the wall. The safety concern is that this brick outer covering could collapse and cause harm to anyone standing in the immediate area near the home."

Nelson said the water service has been disconnected so there is no issues with standing water or other health issues present.

Edd Gauldin, who owns the home immediately east of the vacant property since 2006, requested the property be put on the City Commission agenda.

"The building is dilapidated and is in violation of municipal codes and it's been this way for about five years and nothing has been done about it," Gauldin said. "I'm pretty frustrated with the whole process of trying to get this thing addressed by the city and I keep running up against road blocks."

He said in 2015, per the Otero County Assessor's Office, his property has been reduced in value by over $30,000 specifically because he is next door to the damaged structure.

"In my conversations with the city, they have not been very concerned with it," Gauldin said. "I talked to Stephen Thies and he indicated they weren't going to do anything else about it and then the next thing I know they put a fence around it. Now in addition to it being visually bad from the condition of the property, now it looks like a permanently roped off crime scene."

In the agenda report Thies said he met with Gauldin in June 2014 regarding the condition of the property. As per the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code that the City of Alamogordo adopted, the structure at 2310 Union Ave. was inspected. The inspection revealed the damage to be isolated to the northeast corner and does not threaten the integrity of the structure as a whole. He also said the structure also doesn't meet the conditions of the code to declare it an unsafe structure.

Thies said the city hasn't made successful contact with the property owners, Timothy and Eglenna Gibson, but did make contact with the attorney for Pennymac Loan Services, the mortgage company in possession of the property.

"To facilitate the safe maintenance of the property, the mortgage company and their property maintenance team has been contacted and notified of the violations on the property and the required repairs to bring the property into compliance," Nelson said. "The property maintenance team has hired a structural engineer to inspect the property and provide a report on its condition and recommended repairs. They have also solicited bids from qualified personnel to repair the structure."

The value of the home is estimated at $122,500 and the cost to repair the damage is an estimated $50,000. In August 2015, the mortgage company notified the City of Alamogordo that they have put a hold on any further work on the structure until they have completed the foreclosure.

"In order to maintain for the public safety during this time, a fence has been placed around the damaged area of the home to contain any possible collapse of the brick and to keep people from unknowingly approaching the area," Nelson said. "The City will continue to monitor and work with the mortgage company to ensure all repairs are complete."