ROCKINGHAM — Three more abandoned houses in Rockingham are slated for demolition.
The Rockingham City Council approved demolition ordinances for each property during its meeting on Nov. 10.
According to Assistant City Manager John Massey, minimum housing proceedings were started in April regarding the house at 614 Rockingham Road.
Massey showed photos detailing the condition of the house, saying it was unsecure and that homeless people have been in and out of it.
The owners, listed as the Estate of Mattie Thomas, were reportedly notified by certified mail and regular mail of a hearing with the Code Enforcement officer. A notice was also published in the local print newspaper and posted on the property, according to city documents.
Massey said no one showed up for the hearing and no action has been taken.
The second property was a duplex at 107 and 109 Brook Avenue. The process for that property also started in April and, as in the other case, Massey said no one attended the hearing.
Massey said the duplex is “in a terrible state of repair,” noting that the roof is beginning to collapse.
During the process for the third house, at 114 Glenwood Avenue, Massey said the city did have conversations with the owner and that the owner had pulled a building permit, but “did nothing.” Now, he said, that permit has expired.
Fire Chief Austin Parker said the only house that would possibly be suitable for training is the one on Rockingham Road.
Following the approval of the demolition ordinances, the council OKed a resolution to convey a sliver of city-owned land to the N.C. Department of Transportation for the Greene Street widening project.
According to Massey, that includes 0.008 acres for a right-of-way, 0.032 acres for a permanent utility easement and 0.007 acres for a temporary construction easement. The property in question is at the back of the former Food King building, which has been renovated and is up for auction.
Massey said the utility lines will have to shift “over a little bit,” and that NCDOT will attempt to avoid cutting four small trees.
NCDOT has offered $20,200 for the property, according to Massey.
Mayor John Hutchinson asked if NCDOT has announced a timeline for the project. Massey said the department is about a year out from starting construction, but it’s a “moving target.”
The council also adopted a proclamation titled “Honoring Veterans and Supporting Veterans Day Activities,” which the mayor read during the service at Richmond County Veterans Memorial Park the prior Saturday. (See photos from that event at the RO's Facebook page.)
