ROCKINGHAM — A house that caught fire last year is now slated to be torn down by the city.
During the June 13 meeting, the Rockingham City Council approved a demolition ordinance for a house at 115 S. Skipper Street.
The two-story brick home was vacant when it went up in flames on Sept. 5, 2022.
The Rockingham Fire Department was joined by crews from the Northside Volunteer Fire Department and Cordova Fire and Rescue, attacking the blaze from the yard and the street.
Click here to read the initial story.
Assistant City Manager John Massey told the council that minimum housing proceedings began in January.
The homeowners, according to Massey, are the heirs of the late Buelah McRae, who passed away in the December prior to the fire.
Two of the heirs, Thelma Moore and Bessie Young, reportedly attended a meeting with the code enforcement officer.
The owners were given until May 9 to start making repairs or demolish the home, but Massey said last week that no action had been taken.
“It’s a shame, that was once a fine home,” Councilman Bennett Deane said before making a motion to approve the ordinance. “But once you have a fire like that, there’s not much that can be salvaged.”
This makes the eighth demolition ordinance approved for houses between Rockingham Road and Long Drive in less than two years.
The other seven houses include: 208 Boone St. (April ‘22); 117 S. Grove Ave. in February; 1003 Leak St. (September ‘22); 109 Kinney St. (August ‘22); 211 S. Brookwood Ave. (June ‘22); 206 S. Brookwood Ave. (April ‘22); 204 S. Brookwood Ave. and 302 Bush St. (December ‘21).
The Skipper Street house had only recently fallen into disrepair and was not one of those called into question in the summer of 2021 by a group of residents led by Dr. Wanda Spivey.
Click here to read about Spivey’s revitalization efforts in the neighborhood.
Florida couple Brian and Nicole Darling are also working to renovate homes in the area.
Click here to read their story.
“We are trying to take care of homes that are no longer inhabited, no longer meet code standard,” said Mayor John Hutchinson. “It’s been a lot of hard work on the part of the city and it’s been great to work with representatives of the neighborhood who brought property to our attention.”
Massey said it is an ongoing process, as there are a number of other homes in the area that need to be addressed.
“Can’t do it all at one time,” Massey said.
The process for the city involves several legal hurdles, including a title search and advertising notices in the local print newspaper, and can take up to 10 months. The price tag on a demolition can range from $4,000-15,000, Massey previously told the RO. Sometimes, the fire department is able to use an abandoned house for training.
“In some cases, we’ve seen the city step up and take down a piece of property that then becomes desirable to some of the other people in the neighborhood, some of the other organizations in the neighborhood,” Hutchinson added. “It’s a process that helps not only address issues in the neighborhood but also creates opportunity.”
Massey also told the council that the planning board is in the process of updating the city’s 10-year plan, which is expected to be complete by the fall.
Of the 32 objectives listed under seven set in the 2013 plan, the city has accomplished “or made progress” on 23 of them, according to Massey. Some of those include infrastructure improvements — replacing the pump station and extension of sewer lines — and downtown revitalization.
“It is an excellent road map, and it does help us recognize that we’re heading in a direction that is consistent with where we thought we needed to move when the plan was initiated,” Hutchinson said. “It’s certainly a lot of worthwhile achievements.”
Massey noted that six of the goals were brought over from the previous plan, with downtown revitalization being an addition to the list.
“So if you take a look … all the actions that occurred and what we accomplished in the last ten years … I think it’s pretty impressive,” Massey said.
Deane added it was good to see that the plan is “a living, fluid document that didn’t just sit on the shelf.”
A survey for resident input for the new 10-year plan is set to circulate later this summer, according to Massey.
This will be the third plan developed since Massey came on board with the city and is required by state law.
The council also approved the following board appointments:
Planning and Zoning Board
- Jill McLester as an in-city member (reappointment)
- Alan Anderson and Jamie Lambeth to be recommended to the Richmond County Board of Commissioners for reappointment as ETJ representatives
Board of Adjustment
- Don Price and Debbie Wren as in-city regular members (reappointment)
Historic Preservation Board
- Jennifer Byrd and Kristin Hudson (reappointment)
- Michelle Denham to fill unexpired term of Jay Denham
- There are no recommendations for two vacant seats
ABC Board
- Greg LeBerth (reappointment)
Richmond County Tourism Board
- Angela Watkins to replace seat vacated by Jyoti Patel
