Neighborhood Nuisance: Scorched home in Toledo troubling neighbors

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - On East Weber Street in the Lagrange neighborhood of Toledo sits a vacant eyesore.

According to neighbors, the home caught fire years ago, and it’s been going downhill since.

" It’s very scary to see that over there because, as you can see, the trees have actually grown up, and weeds and taking over. You can’t even buy the front door. There are no windows or doors. You can’t find them because of all the debris,” said Miss Lyons, who lives across the street.

Lyons said she and a few elderly neighbors do their best to keep the overgrowth under control, but there is only so much they should do, and they shouldn’t have to.

" We went over there and cut down weeds and chop them down. But as you can see, they have grown back, and it’s just out of control, it’s out of control,” said Lyons.

People in the neighborhood say they have seen people in and out of the home, looting whatever they can get their hands on.

“We’ve seen individuals come back and forth over there. We don’t know who those individuals are, homeless people. Probably seeking shelter. Or we see individuals crawling through the windows in that. And her husband is sick; he has oxygen. If a fire started over there, they’re in big trouble,” saic Lyons about the vacant home and the neighboring house. “We’ve written letters, we’ve called. What else can we do?”

Dennis Kennedy, Commissioner for the City’s Urban Beautification Department, said the city’s inventory of properties to care for has increased exponentially. The city once had 1,500 properties to worry about, and there are now over 6,000.

“There is always going to be a property that falls through the cracks, and that hurts us. We don’t want people with this blight in their community; we want them to have a good quality of life. So we do appreciate when people call and tell us about them,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy says it’s crucial that people continue to keep the city aware of property conditions so they don’t get overgrown like the Weber Street eyesore.

If you have a neighborhood nuisance in your community, send an email to willie.daniely@13abc.com, and be sure to include pictures, a phone number, and any information that may help in getting your problem solved.

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