By Kate Reynolds
There are three dilapidated properties in Seneca, and the village council is addressing one of them now. The house at 362 N. Market St. had a fire quite a few years ago, and this week, the village approved a $10,000 real estate contract to purchase the property from owner Michael J. Dunn.
“We’ve given the owner (Michael J. Dunn) plenty of time to clean up the property, and he hasn’t responded,” Mayor Jeff Olson said. “So, the council is moving forward with demolition plans.”
The village has sent several letters to all three owners, who have yet to respond. Olson said that in the past, Seneca didn’t move forward by going to court over dilapidated properties.
“In the past, we weren’t going to court and doing what we needed to do to follow up,” Olson said, and that hasn’t been fair to the residents living near the properties and the community. But that has all changed now. We’ve hired an attorney in Morris to represent us. And if we have to take the owners to court, we will so we can take care of these situations.”
The village is applying for a Strong Communities grant through the state. Grant funds may be used to acquire, demolish, or rehabilitate vacant and abandoned residential properties. If awarded, the grant will pay up to $5,000 to purchase the property, $75,000 for rehab (interior and exterior), and $40,000 for demolition.
According to Illinois law, a municipality may file a lien on an abandoned property to recover the costs it has incurred repairing, maintaining, or enclosing the property. The village can also recover costs for removing weeds, trees, bushes, and grass, exterminating pests, eliminating garbage, boarding up, or putting a fence around abandoned residences may also be recovered.
“There are a few homes we’re looking to demolish,” Olson said. “Unfortunately, there will be out-of-pocket costs for the village. But something must be done when it involves conditions that make it unsafe for our residents and the community. And the village is considering ways to recover our expenses.”