Warren, Trumbull officials seek to expedite housing demolitions

By ED RUNYAN

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

Heidi Blumenstock’s Front Street Southwest neighborhood demonstrates the reasons why Trumbull County officials asked the federal government last winter for permission to use an additional $743,528 to demolish vacant structures.

Blumenstock’s house just off of Tod Avenue and a short distance south of West Market Street has two vacant lots beside it.

The grass has grown to about six inches, but that’s a whole lot better than when the two vacant houses were there.

“It’s better because of the people in the houses — vandalism, a fire and rats,” Blumenstock said.

Before the city used some of its $1.4 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program money last year to tear down the two homes, they were a source of irritation.

They were being constantly vandalized, the siding removed, and teenagers were going inside. Eventually, the teens started a fire.

Now that the city tore both houses down, those problems are gone.

“It looks empty, but problem-wise, it’s good,” Blumenstock said.

Now the main issue is keeping the grass cut. The owner of the two lots had it cut once this summer, and Blumenstock said she occasionally cuts it, too, because her children are safer playing in that area than in their own small front yard.

Her friend, Jason Dan of Southington, who works in Warren, said it’s good that the city removed some of the blight by taking houses down, but there’s so much more that needs to be done.

“There are too many broken down houses,” he said. “It’s sad because I can remember 20 years ago, the entire city of Warren was nice.”

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com