Time to take action
Published 11:11 am Thursday, January 21, 2016
In a month, it will be a year since a prominent downtown Ironton building was declared in violation of city safety codes.
On Feb. 20, 2015, Michael Asebrook, who then handled inspections for the county building department, wrote to sisters, Carol Jean Destocki, Rosemary Mitchell and Beverly Nance, that the building at 336 Center St., that once housed the law and accounting firms of Destocki and her husband was in violation of the Ohio Building Code.
“The masonry is unsafe and the interior is open to weather,” his letter states. “Structures that are unsafe or are otherwise dangerous to human life shall be deemed a serious hazard. Where a building is found to be a serious hazard, such hazard shall be eliminated or the building shall be vacated and where such building, when vacated, remains a serious hazard, it shall be razed.”
That was a year ago. What has happened? Nothing apparently. The building is still there. If there have been any structural repairs, they are not apparent. Even the barricade tape, originally erected last year to keep pedestrians away from the sidewalks surrounded the building, remains pulled down, so anyone can basically walk by the structure.
The city’s new mayor Katrina Keith on her victorious election night said returning Ironton to its past glory was a top priority. So now the question is what’s her plan? And when is she going to share it with her constituents?
Yes, it is early in her administration, but now is the time to take advantage of the momentum that put her in office. Now is the time to share her ideas. Now.