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Marshall, Missouri ~ Sunday, July 6, 2008
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Rental Dumps and Slum Lords
Posted Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 3:12 AM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
Each summer the garden club places a sign in the yard of the month. I don't hold out any hope of every seeing it in my yard. I think that if I want to preserve the value of my property the garden club needs to reevaluate their criteria and offer another award. It should be called The Crappiest Yard Of The Month. I believe when property owners let their rental properties decline so much that it starts effecting the value of neighboring properties they should be rewarded for their lack of effort. It's really competitive for the yard of the month when all
the homes in the neighborhood are on the list. Over here the competition is not as fierce.
As a homeowner I work hard to maintain my property. Each year it gets a little harder. The people who own the two houses north of me live out of town and rent these houses on occasion. Most of the time these houses just sit empty. I was mowing my lawn last summer and a glint of chrome caught my eye next door. I looked over and saw the top six inches of a lawn mower handle sticking up through the weeds. Sometimes I have to mow twice in a week to keep the yard looking nice; he mows twice during the summer whether it needs it or not. A dead car has been sitting in one driveway for about a year. When the house was rented the renters had it hauled off to the junkyard. When the owners found out about it they retrieved it from the junk yard and brought it back. They wanted to keep the care for sentimental reasons over here, not at there property in Sedalia. There is a clear demarcation line between my property and theirs where I stop mowing.
The neighbor to the south of me was out a couple of weeks age putting his fence back up. The fence looks like a couple of kids started to build a tree house and built a fence instead. The shed to the rear of the property should be condemned. Just walking by you can do a complete inventory of the junk inside the shed just by looking at the roof and the side of the building. Six years ago he had potbelly pigs in the shed. I don't know but I think the city told him to get rid of them. There is over tree tons of used building materials laying next to the building and on the front porch in piles from a destruction project inside the house. My neighbor to the back does a good job on his property. Across the street from me is a vacant lot. The owner bought it years ago and tried to move in a mobile home. The city said no and the property has been sitting ever since. It gets mowed when someone working for the city issues them a warning. At present it hasn't been mowed since last year. The city official who takes care of this must be busy citing other yards in the town because he hasn't been by my way yet. At least during the summer you can't see the old tires laying on the property. Down the street it's not that lucky. The residents thought two planters in the front yard would look good or else they didn't know what to do with the two tractor tires laying in the front yard, I don't know. One day last year I brought a dangerous situation to the attention of a city worker last year. Steel rods sticking up two feet next to the street on Odell Street. I go by there everyday. I guess nobody has gotten killed yet because they're still there. Down by the railroad tracks you get a clear view of the traffic on Commerce Street in late summer. Last summer the weeds got over seven feet tall until they finally fell over after a hard rain. City workers mow a small patch of grass across the road. I wonder why they couldn't see those weeds. The court house is in the center of the community. One only has to walk a couple of blocks and see buildings about to collapse. What does it take in Marshall to get the city to do what it's supposed to be doing already! Do city officials drive around with blinders on? When will the Officials of the City of Marshall start taking the little things seriously. Until then, Marshall will never be the city it once was. Each day it goes a little bit more downhill, and that's a shame. I'm John Q. What do you think? Comments Showing most recent comments first [Show in chronological order instead] |
Hot topics Non-Denominationalism(18 ~ 1:50 PM, Jul 4)
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Rental Dumps and Slum Lords
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I remember Vers Addition The first, and last, time i was there visiting a poor School friend, that lived there.We had a dinner of Oppossum,and Biscuits, with Gravy! Pretty nasty,But it's all they had, and they Shared what they had. Good People. They had dirt floors too. I guess they all did! the majority were very hard workers,trying too make it.They were probably a lot like, Some now,not all! Some just don't care. It's sad to see Marshall the way it is now. Back in the late 30 & 40 it was the greatest place to grow up! Everyone was struggling but it was great,when they had Carnivals on Court St. and the Fair Grounds. Also the farmers would come too Town on Fir. & Sat. park their Horse & Buggies on Court St. We as little Kids, would Water them for a Quarter! while the people would shop. My Friend and me were about 4 years old at that time! We would get the Water from Pecks Bar! Vers Edition was more in the 40 if i remember right. Great Times! Thanks for the Memories,Marshall!!!
as these post seem to say , is this town really over , or are we just worried about such things as the fancy marshall sign and flags as you come in to marshall , money well wasted that could of been spent on more important things , such as clean up and repair of old marshall and values of things that really matter [the go not the show of it all] and are we turning into little mexico some areas are looking that way , what a shame to feel no pride in a town you have lived in all your born days !!!! :]
The house across the street from us has sat empty since at least fall of 2005, when we moved here and purchased our house. The lawn is mowed maybe 4 times a year. Water has seeped through a leaky roof, causing the soffits and fascia boards along the porch to rot and sag. The paint is peeling in great slabs, and the bushes have grown to Haunted House status.
The house behind us, facing Arrow, has also been empty that long. Its garage has been decomposing into our back yard, one shingle at a time. A good wind from the east will put it squarely into our back yard. The front of the house has a grand porch with tall columns that appears not to have seen a lick of paint since somewhere right after the Civil War.
I don't know what the city code is for keeping up property, but this blatant neglect has created a total blight on what otherwise is a rather nicely kept neighborhood. If there is no enforcable code, then perhaps the city council needs to establish one.
LabGirl, I have been working on one house for over six years to make it an asset to the neighborhood. The key word is work. On one project I replaced the old windows with new insulated windows. When the money was available I replaced the front porch and then again when the money was available the foundation was tuck pointed and several sections of the roof were replaced. My point is why are homeowners and absentee landlords allowed to let properties decline to where they negatively effect the other properties in the neighborhood? Without constant upkeep, older homes will sink into disrepair. Unfortunately properties that have been allowed to run down are too often purchased cheap for rental purposes. It's at this point where the owner can improve the property or neglect it.
In you comment, "maybe you oughta open up your eyes and see that people are trying to fix this town up that it takes alot of time and money" is correct for those who are trying.
My eyes are open! I see the obvious work that homeowners put in to maintain their properties. The problem is that there are too many homes in Marshall where no effort is being made to maintain the property. If you walk from the court house down to Salt Pond Avenue, go either north or south and you will witness unreinforced masonry walls on the verge of collapse. These or commercial rental properties within one block of the court house. I applaud the work of property owners who take pride in their property. It's the ones who don't think enough about their neighbors and their investments in their homes that are of concern to me.
Marshall is a beautiful town. However, there are many areas that need attention. As I look at surrounding towns, such as Slater, there are ALWAYS citizens getting notices in regards to mowing their yards, keeping junk around, property not up to snuff. How do they get by with it and yet Marshall 6x bigger has some properties in need of upkeep and repair.
As far as rental properties, I own a property in Marshall and work very hard to maintain it. I also work hard to find and keep good tenants. This is easier said than done.
Marshall has more to it than the south end of town. With all of the high costs of EVERYTHING it is difficult for people to have the money to pay for materials and labor to keep their properties up. What are homeowners to do? Sadly, the high prices of gas and food have put home repairs on the back burner.
Not all landlords are bad. Maybe Marshall should look at Slater to see how they are working to clean up their small town. Just a thought.
Sorry John Q. I've been on a hiatus of sorts.
To answer your question...yes, finally. I had to cool down a great deal first:) What strikes me more odd than anything is the audacity one must have to even consider this type of behavior. I call it "overestimation of one's own importance".
well, i am a new homeowner. my hubby and i just purchased a home on w yerby... a real big dump but for the right price. we have worked and work for almost a year now, and yes i do have to admit that our yard could definitley use some work and the outer appearance is showing signs of neglect. but it is coming around...i have noticed alot of the homes around this area being remodeled down around benton and ellsworth... maybe you oughta open up your eyes and see that people are trying to fix this town up that it takes alot of time and money. our home looks like it is worth a million dollaars on the nside...now the work will begin outside.. it just takes time!!!
Smokin' Cheetah, I don't know what you call that. I for one have never had the experience. Have you ever talked to the neighbor about it?
I don't know that this falls under the "rental dumps and slum lords" arena, but it's a homeowner issue nonetheless. It's almost the polar opposite in fact:
When did it become OK for one neighbor to mow a large, noticeable portion of another neighbor's yard without permission? I'm not talking about helping keep it up. I'm talking about this attitude that says, "I don't want any difference in height in the foliage from the wall of my house to the wall of your house--even though 12 feet of what I just scalped (and in some cases, nearly TILLED) belongs to you!"
Do these people not realize the liability they are assuming? Have they any clue that you may have just dumped a couple of hundred bucks in seed and fertilizer in that area, and they just sucked it up in the bagger or blew it to the four winds (that do, in fact, blow in Marshall)?
Isn't this called trespass? And I guess my next question is, what do you call this type of mentality: arrogance, indifference, or just plain stupidity?
I've had a house for rent for about a month. There has been many people who have called and expressed interest. Most of them fall away when you tell them the there is a damage deposit required in addition to the first months rent. Some come over to the house and want to see it. Several couples have offered to help remodel the exterior in lieu of rent. I tell them that my labor is all that I have. The house if for rent to generate income. Once they understand this they usually fall away.
It seems that there is a lot of people who want to rent a big home, can't provide references or afford the rent and they all have asked that I make exceptions on their behave. To make the exception is an invitation for the property to decline. There were three couples in the final selection. One couple was able to pay the deposit and the first month's rent, they references were acceptable and I hope they enjoy living is the home. Having rented property for some time I always make it a practice of driving by the house that they currently live in. Trashy yards and dead cars in the driveway eliminated the majority of them. This is one house that will not look like a slum because I live right next door.
I totally agree with John Q. This town is looking rundown. Do we not have city codes anymore? What happened to having pride in our homes? It does not make a good 1st impression to visitors passing through. Come on Marshall lets start cleaning house.
On Odel There is one building close to the Middle School that absolutely amazes me. I was talking to the building inspector at the fire department about the trash surrounding then house, dead vehicles parked in the YARD and the automobile engine hanging by a chain from a tree in the front yard. Thing have improved some at the residence, the eternal yard sale seems to have been curtailed, the motor is no longer hanging in the tree but the decline in appearance hasn't been restored after the damage these activities has caused.
I wonder if a Jed Clampet moved in next to the mayor or alderman's house if the same conditions would be tolerated?
I'd be glad to shed some light on the Vers addition.
Digression: OKLAHOMA READER!! It's good to *hear* from you. There was an obit the other day for a fella in OK and with his credentials I was concerned it was you. Glad you're still on the top side of the soil:)
Vers addition. Roughly 50-60 years ago, the Vers addition was pretty much everything from College Street south to whatever extent the town went at that time. This area was referred to as (PC) "Shantytown" because it was filled almost entirely with shantys--basically, tar-paper shacks with dirt floors. I don't know what Town and Country Lake was then, but if it existed it was probably a lagoon. Note, "Vers Street" still exists in that area. It runs East/West :)
I don't know what the vers additon is but like JQ I will probably spend my last dollar trying to keep the dozer's at bay.
I enjoyed your analogy Smokin Cheetah. But hey guys ,not to worry. If a neighborhood falls far enough it will be bulldozed and gentrified. Some day will it be posh to live on the north side? Do any of you remember Vers Addition? What is there now?
Thank you both of you. Great posts with heart. Have you guys been hanging around my house?
John Q.,
This is my personal analogy for the city of Marshall...I'll ask forgiveness in advance for the implied obscenity:
Imagine the city of Marshall as primate (human or ape, doesn't matter) lying face up with the head pointed north. Let's call the courthouse and the encompassing square the "heart" of Marshall for anatomical purposes.
It seems the city does well to keep up the heart muscle, and is exceptionally fond of shaving its legs and pedicures. But this body needs a haircut, a shave, a major necklift, and a tummy-tuck--for starters.
Pretty much the from city offices north would be the "neck" and "head". Buildings are falling down, a lot of residents have lost all pride in their properties, vacant buildings and quonset "huts". It's been left to age and hardly a penny's worth of anti-wrinkle cream has been applied there.
The torso would be the area from Arrow Street south to around the groin...the groin being the area of Yerby to College Streets. The torso, for the most part, is stable but is beginning to show signs of love handles and gravity.
Now, the groin area in this example isn't in quite the need of attention as the neck and head, but there's still some toning that needs to be done, or someone's gonna pull a muscle before long.
College Stree south: the hips, thighs, and legs. Can't ever pay too much attention to those areas because, after all, who *hasn't* been just about ready to let out a loud wolf whistle looking at the backside when the person turns around and you get a better look at the head and neck...and you go "WHOA!! Damn!! OUCH!!"??
That's exactly what out-of-towners feel when they come into Marshall from the south...and then we turn around and show them our north.
But it seems like this city is comfortable just standing on a good looking pair of legs...and seems to have neglected the rest of the *body*...especially the head and neck.
I could not agree with you more, my old childhood neighborhood looks like a slum! It breaks my heart to see the once well kept homes that are now nothing more than habitable. I can remember seeing the former owners, many who have passed, out mowing, trimming, and painting, to keep their homes respectable. It angers me to see what has happened in many of the neighborhoods around town. I come to town a few times a year, and each time it looks worse than the time before. I guess that the city is not worried about the impression that these delapedated homes give to people visiting for the first time? I hope that at some point someone will do something to bring some pride back! I wonder what the city would say or do if these homes were on the south side of town?