Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Houses, old school condemned

The Gurdon City Council has condemned nine properties including the old Gurdon High School property, as the next step in an effort to clean up the city.

The council was presented with a list of 14 properties at its meeting on Monday, May 21. Of the properties listed, four owners agreed to pay the city to tear down and remove the dilapidated structures before any were condemned. One other property owner made asked that the city give him 30 days to tear down a house before considering condemnation.

Gurdon Recorder/treasurer Tambra Childres said a list of the houses the city has been given permission to tear down has been sent to local utility companies to ensure all utilities are disconnected. The city could begin tearing the structures down this week.

Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin said he was pleased that some of the property owners had come forward once they learned the council would be considering their property for condemnation.

We hoped as many people would come forth as possible, he said.

The owners of the 14 properties considered at the meeting this month were sent a letter notifying them that their property could be condemned.

Jacquelyn Brown, who owns two of the properties condemned by the council, has since made arrangements to pay the city to tear down both structures.

The owners of the condemned properties will now be sent a certified letter advising them of the councils actions, Childres said. If they do not take action to clean the property within 30 days, a fine can be assessed, and the city can begin to tear down the structures on its own.

According to Childres, the condemned properties and their owners of record are 107 and 108 Sycamore, owned by Brown; 310 East Joslyn, owned by Willy and Freemon Christopher; 605 South 5th, owned by Charles Dickerson; 506 East Miller, owned by Entrust Adm. Inc., Russ Thomas IRA; 301 East Walnut, owned by Carl and Anna Kinder; 505 Seahorn, owned by Beatrice Nails; 503 East Miller, owned by Alonzo Newson; and the old Gurdon High School property located on Third Street. The Gurdon School District is the owner of record for the old high school property.

School district officials say otherwise.

We gave all of the deeds that we had to Mike McKenzie when we sold the property, Superintendent Bobby Smithson said on Thursday. As far as Im concerned, its not our problem.

Smithson said the district sold the property to McKenzie, owner of M&M Enterprises five to seven years ago for $25,000, but he has apparently never filed the deeds to transfer official ownership into his name.

When contacted on Friday, McKenzie said he has donated the property to a church that owns adjacent property. He said he never filed the deeds because the abstract company he hired said the deeds were too old.

McKenzie said he thinks the church should be able to have the property transferred into its name.

If it was up to me, Id of torn the thing down a long time ago, he said.

Smithson said the issue may wind up in court if the city decides to pursue the clean up of the property.

Franklin said more properties will be considered at the councils next regular meeting. The structures are not being chosen for condemnation in any particular order, he said, but input from neighbors and others in the community is being taken into account. The work will continue until all of the 60 structures previously identified have been cleaned up.

We think we can get them all, he said.