MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee youth center that has long been concerned about a nuisance property next door is now hopeful as the city prepares to take action on a building that has been decaying for decades.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Nonprofit, community advocate react to raze order for Riverwest building after neighbors seek TMJ4's help
The boarded-up building at the corner of Holton and Burleigh has holes in its roof, bricks tumbling to the ground, and trash lining the sidewalk. City records show that its owner owes more than $300,000 in property taxes, plus interest, dating back to 2012.
"Oftentimes we will have to remove debris, we've seen hypodermic needles, we've seen bullets — Just to provide a safe path into the building to receive treatment," said Rachel Urfer, program director at STRONG, a youth center next door.
Urfer and Adam Meyers, STRONG safety director, consider the property more than just an eyesore — they see it as a safety hazard for the children they treat.
Watch: MKE youth center hopeful as city moves to foreclose on blighted property
"Every morning I walk up and down and pick up garbage because it's just scattered everywhere," Meyers said.
"My main concern is the broken glass because we have children coming and going at multiple hours of the day, and we just want to make sure that they're safe," Meyers said.
"This is where they come every day. And it's difficult for them to have to walk past an area like that," Urfer said.
When asked if he was surprised the city had taken so long to address the issue, Meyers responded: "I am, I mean, it's a quality of life issue."
Property owner deflects responsibility.
When TMJ4 spoke with property owner John Bagrowski last year, he deflected responsibility for the unpaid taxes.
"It's not my building, it's my wife's, so you'll have to talk to her about that," Bagrowski said when asked why he hadn't paid property taxes since 2011.
When Lighthouse reporter Ben Jordan pointed out the property was under his name, he replied: "I know, it's her building."
Contamination complicates foreclosure
Mario Costantini, a local business owner and Riverwest revitalization advocate, explained why the city had been reluctant to act.
"It's like a cancer to the neighborhood," Costantini said.
"The property is on a Do Not Acquire list, and the reason that it's so is because it's contaminated, and so if the city forecloses on a property like this, they become liable for the cleanup, which is an expensive thing," Costantini said.
Fed up with the lack of progress, Costantini recently asked Mayor Cavalier Johnson to come see the property for himself.
Mayor takes action
"When a property owner doesn't make investments in their property and they just let it sit and rot," Johnson said. "We don't want to see that in the city of Milwaukee. That's why I got involved here, working to make sure we're able to take this property down."
The mayor is now instructing the Department of Neighborhood Services to start the foreclosure process next month, allowing the city to repossess the building and eventually tear it down.
"This is great news for the neighborhood," Costantini said.
Costantini believes this could be the start of addressing similar properties throughout the city.
"I think the solution is you start with one and then you do two, you do three, and eventually you can do them, but you can't just throw your hands up in the air and say it's an impossible task, we can't do it," Costantini said.
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