City council continues to address blighted properties

Franklin’s Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Hildreth addressed Mayor Eugene Foulcard and councilmembers Tuesday in the second round of condemnation hearings for the city’s blight mitigation project.
The properties addressed through these hearings, though still considered by the city to be of first priority in terms of required demolition, are those which required attorney representation due to lack of contact with property owners.
The first order of business was conducted by City Attorney Russel J. Cremaldi, who asked for representatives of each individually listed property to come forth if they were present. None answered.
Hildreth brought four properties to the council’s attention, saying he had made contact with the owners of those properties, which afforded those properties exceptional consideration before demolition.
Of 613 Pecot St., Hildreth reported the owner wished to demolish the blighted structure on their own, and the council voted to give them six months to complete that task.
Of 1039 Cayce St. and 312 Talbot St., both owned by the same party, Hildreth reported that the owner wished to restore and repair those properties, and it was decided that she has six months to bring them into compliance with city codes, or those properties will face demolition.
And the last of the four properties for extra consideration was 1611 Tupelo Street, about which Hildreth reported the owner’s wish to demolish it on their own, and it was voted by the council to allow them the standard six months to complete that task.
The rest of the 11 properties stood without representation. City-appointed council Joseph Tabb acted on their behalf and they were ordered to be demolished without delay.
These are those properties:
—107 Bud St.
—1803 ½ Cole Drive
—313 Morris St.
—515 Oneal Chube St.
—411 Third St.
—613 Twelfth St.
—620 Twelfth St.
It was also undertaken Tuesday night to appoint two more properties to Tabb’s charge due to the buildings’ owners being absent or unrepresented.
Those properties were 306 Cypress St. and 1016 Barrow St.
Before the hearings drew to a close, Hildreth explained the status of upcoming hearings.
“At the December (city council) meeting we will be finalizing everything that was on the ‘Priority One’ list—that is the ones (properties) which were deemed the worst of the worst in the community.
“Then, we will start addressing the ‘Priority Two’ list, which is much smaller, so those will come in two’s throughout next year.”
He closed by saying he and the mayor have been working together to come up with ways to enlist the assistance of local businesses in the demolition or refurbishment processes in Franklin, and continue in those efforts.