MILWAUKEE — The city of Milwaukee is taking action on a dilapidated building, which a neighboring non-profit brought to our attention.
This comes just weeks after our Lighthouse team exposed how the city wouldn’t touch the building despite its owner owing $279,000 for failing to pay property taxes plus interest.
A bright orange sign stapled to a boarded-up door spells trouble for the building owner on the corner of Holton and Burleigh. However, the raze and remove order is a welcome sight for the non-profit located just next door.
“When you saw that notice on the door, what went through your mind?” reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"I knew that TMJ4's story was instrumental,” Adam Meyers said. “I knew that the city was concerned about what was going on there. And we're working well with them."
Watch: City issues raze order for dilapidated Riverwest building
Meyers is the safety officer at STRONG. It's a non-profit mental health treatment center for some of Milwaukee’s most vulnerable children.
"When they come to STRONG, we want to make sure that not only do they have a safe environment inside our building but also outside of the building when they're being dropped off by their transportation,” Meyers said.
STRONG staff say they’re worried about the condition of the building and the potential for vandalism. It has holes in the roof, bricks crumbling to the ground, and broken glass on what used to be a glass repair shop.
City records also show the owner has failed to pay property taxes since 2011.
"I've heard the comment from many people saying, if this was my house, after two or three years I would be evicted,” Meyers said. “I don't understand how somebody could get away with that.”
Days after our initial story aired, the Department of Neighborhood Services inspected the building and found it is, "dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary, unfit for human habitation and unreasonable to repair."
A letter posted on the front door of the building says D.N.S. gave the owner 20 days to remove the building. TMJ4 was there on Monday when that deadline passed.
The owner of the building, John Bagrowski, approached our crew outside, claiming he was selling the building despite the raze and remove order.
“It says you have to remove the property by today, is that your plan?” Jordan asked.
"No, I can't remove the property. How could I remove it?”Bagrowski replied. "You ain't got nothing to say about this building, OK?
The city has yet to repossess Bagrowski’s building because it was placed on what’s called the ‘Do Not Acquire List’. That’s a list of 152 properties that are years behind on property taxes, but the city won’t take over because they’re contaminated and would create an expensive liability.
D.N.S. declined our interview request. A spokesperson said Bagrowski still has a chance to appeal the raze and remove order.
"Pending that outcome, there will be interdepartmental discussions within city government on the next course of action,” the spokesperson said.
"A lot of us have worked really hard to restore the neighborhood and one property like the Burleigh Glass property really is detrimental to everything that we do and it's a big step back,” said Mario Costantini.
Costantini is a business owner in the Riverwest neighborhood who’s helped revitalize dilapidated buildings into thriving businesses.
“How long has that building been on your radar?” Jordan asked.
"At least 20 years it's been a problem,” Costantini replied. “So it's gotten progressively worse and it was on the Do Not Acquire list by the city, so it stretched out that long."
Back at STRONG, Meyers hopes the city’s action ends up creating extra space for STRONG to grow.
"The ultimate goal is to have the property maintained or removed and keep our children safe,” he said. That's the ultimate goal."
This isn’t the end of the process. It’s just the start for the city to decide what’s next. STRONG tells TMJ4 that the Department of Neighborhood Services said that the process could take several months.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
