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Marathon City trustees vote to raze apartment buildings

Marathon City trustees vote to raze apartment buildings Marathon City trustees vote to raze apartment buildings

The Marathon City Village Board last week Wednesday voted to go to court and raze three Main Street properties due to structural and safety concerns as well as building code violations.

The properties are apartment buildings owned by Scott Stollenwerk, Pewaukee, at 600, 606 and 608 Main Street.

The board action follows a court-ordered building inspection that revealed rotted siding and window frames, interior doors used for exterior purposes, a collapsed ceiling repaired with cardboard, a dangling light fixture, structurally unsound entry steps and general disrepair.

Village administrator Andy Kurtz said the village has had issues with the properties for a decade. Recently, he has tried to get the property owner to make repairs but, despite pledges from the owner’s attorney that repairs will begin, no building permits have been applied for and no improvements have been made.

Kurtz said the village can go to court to obtain a raze order, after which the three structures will be demolished, removed and trucked to the landfill. He estimated a demolition cost “north of $15,000” which will be charged to the property owner and, if this amount is not paid, levied as a special charge on the owner’s property tax bills.

Kurtz said the county would reimburse the village for its costs should the taxes not be paid. After three years, the properties can be sold for the back taxes, Kurtz said.

Board members questioned whether anybody continued to live in the apartment buildings.

Kurtz said Stollwerk evicted the tenants but that, reportedly, two families continue to live in the buildings.

He said it was not up to the village to find new housing for the tenants. “We are not the responsible party,” he said.

Board members acknowledged that it may take years to see new buildings on the property but that empty lots with the buildings removed would be an improvement.

“It’s only going to help the neighborhood,” said trustee Mark Ahrens.

The Marathon County land records system says the taxable value of the properties are $348,700. Annual taxes on the properties are $8,075. The taxable value of the parcels’ land itself is $42,200.

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