Dresden Condemnation Board Takes Action on Condemned Properties

BY DAVID FISHER
david@magicvalleypublishing.com

The Condemnation Board met on March 27, 2023 at 6 p.m. at Dresden City Hall to discuss the status of properties on the condemnation list and decide what actions need to be taken.
Property owned by Marty Cole, located at 134 S. Poplar Street, was sold and the structure was demolished. After learning of this development, the board voted to remove the property from review.
Brenda Dexter, who owns a lot located at 355 W. Main Street, stated work was ongoing on this property. She stated nobody lives at the residence, and they are working on it as time and finances allow. The board agreed, since progress was being made, the condition of the property would be reviewed in 60 days.
Properties located at 147-150 W. Main Street, which are owned by Keith Kemp, Mary Beth Oliver, and Lisa Kemp, are due to be demolished. Keith Kemp stated it was to be demolished by the end of March. This property may have been condemned and ordered to be demolished already. No further action was taken.
Property previously owned by the late Steve Boyd, located at 340 D & C Subdivision, was recently sold in a tax sale. The Board suggested contacting the new owner to see what the plans were for this property.
Eddie Danner, who owns property at 1126 Hwy 118, was initially mentioned for condemnation, due to health and sanitation issues. However, this property was removed from review, since there are no structural issues with the property.
It was reported that work is slowly being done on the Stephenson property, located at 224 N. Cedar. Dick Tidwell made a motion for the building inspector to review this property (inside and out) and report the findings back to the board. The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Property at 451 Oakdale Street was removed from review by the Condemnation Board, due to there not being any structural issues found with the property.
Property owned by Marva Brock, located at 435 Oakdale Street, was already ordered to be condemned. Ms. Brock stated it may be in her best interest to have the structure torn down.

Tornado Damaged Properties
Several properties were discussed that were damaged by the December 10, 2021 tornado. These properties have had no work done on them to date.
It was mentioned that two vacant properties have campers on them that have been used as temporary housing since the tornado. It was noted these campers are in violation of the city’s zoning ordinance. A letter was sent to the property owners of 9345 Hwy 22 and 221 E. Main giving them 30 days to remove the camper from the property.
The board approved a motion for the building inspector to review the following properties and bring a recommendation back to the board: 414 Pikeview Street, 317 Broad Street, 318 Broad Street, 203 Pikeview Street, 118 Pikeview Street, 161 E. Main Street, 228 E. Maple Street, 513 Taylor Street, 523 Taylor Street and 616 Taylor Street. The motion, which was amended to include the former Simmons Bank building on Church Street and the Dresden Specialty Clinic at 136 S. Wilson Street, also received the board’s approval.
With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.