County landbank to demolish 24 abandoned properties

Get the list here. Find out what neighbors say in today's Register.
Andy Ouriel
May 13, 2013

Jack Mineo takes many meticulous steps to ensure he cultivates a vibrant, well-manicured green space running alongside Franklin Street.

The fenced-in, evenly trimmed lawn doubles as a good gardening spot for Mineo and a perfect playing area for his children’s boxers, Phoebe and Chloe, and bichon, Sophie.

But he detests the dead spot abutting his property.

Mineo lives next to a decrepit, condemned home at the corner of Franklin and East Market streets.

Among the property’s many shortcomings is the shabby grass that’s several inches high. It’s also an asbestos-filled home.

“We’ve lived here for 40 years, and that property has always been a nuisance,” Mineo said.

See the photos above and the list of properties slated for the wrecking ball. 

Finally, for the sake of Mineo and the entire neighborhood, someone has decided to kill the property.

Erie County officials targeted it as one of 24 blighted buildings to demolish sometime before Sept. 1. The first demolition should occur sometime this month.

The properties — most are located in Sandusky, while others are scattered throughout the townships of Oxford, Perkins and Vermilion — qualified for demolition after elected representatives overseeing these areas successfully submitted applications for demolition funds.

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I offered facts, not opinion.

Having a stake means having assets at risk.

The renter's assets are portable - if the city goes down the tubes, he can pack up and go to another city, losing nothing.

The homeowner's single biggest financial asset is unseverably tied to the community. If the city goes down the tubes, he can't take his home and place it in another city. His only recourse is to sell it at a loss or abandon it. He has real risk of losing money if the city doesn't do well. That is a stake.

It's a fact that the city is better off ENCOURAGING homeownership. There is a correlation between homeownership rates and every measure of a community's well-being. This doesn't make renters second-class citizens, but it does make them less of an asset to a community, regardless of whether that hurts anyone's precious feelings.


You are stereotyping renters. All property owners and renters have a vested interest in the community—the property owner by owning the property and the renter by contract. In reality the landlord may have more at “stake” than the home owner.

One thing for sure without the renters Sandusky _would_ go down the tubes.


It's not stereotyping; it's statistics. Renters have no vested interest, BY THE DEFINITION OF VESTED INTEREST. They have no funds or assets at risk. The landlord's interests are actually contrary to the community's, because as the local economy goes downhill, Uncle Sam steps in with Section 8 to make sure the rent gets paid.

Sandusky could stand to lose about one third its renters and be FAR better off.


Gosh, why do I have to repeat myself? I'm sorry; I'm not going to let you degrade renters. You are biased. You are stereotyping.


I'm not degrading anyone. I'm simply stating neutral facts. Community well being correlates with the percentage of housing that is owner occupied, and unlike homeowners, renters can leave a failing community without losing any net wealth. Thesr are facts, and your indignation doesn't change them. If you're a renter, and it hurts your precious feelings, there's nothing I can do about that.


You are a dinosaur you know. Your thinking needs to be brought up to date but we’re running out of time on this thread; so I will look forward to a continued discussion in a newer thread. Thanks for the dialogue.


A dinosaur, for citing facts? News flash mutt, homeownership rates have been steadily on the rise for the last decade, even with the financial crisis.

BTW, threads never close.


Can they please demolish BobShumways house?


...with him in it ? Pleeezz?

Me and Only Me

The house at 1720 W. Monroe St. has been deserted, empty and posted as condemned for at least 3 years now. It looks real bad! The back yard still has at least 30 full trash bags and litter. There are rat holes around the property also. There are vines that grow and almost totally engulf it in the summer. (At least it hides the ugliness.) I always wonder how long the city will put off demolishing this hazardous and unhealthy place. Another 3 years? Everyone in the neighborhood keeps neat and clean properties and that house is deplorable. It just sits ignored by the city.


Go take a look at Detroit, Cleveland or Toledo.

Me and Only Me

I know! Those cities have terrible problems! I sure hope Sandusky never gets as bad though.

The Answer Person

Demolishing the former Kleug Pharmacy building @ Central and Decatur is a friggin' tragedy. I think this article would be better served by listing the OWNERS of the properties than the properties themselves.

Julie R.

If you want to know who the owners are just get on the auditor's website and put in the address of the property.

For example: 1315 Fifth Street says prior to 1995 it was owned by a Jacob and Ida Schenko and then in 1995 it was owned only by Ida Schenko. On 7-19-2012 it says U.S. National Bank obtained it from Ida Schenko at a Sheriff Sale for $26,000.00 . It then says on 10-23-2012 U.S. Bank National sold it to a Timothy & Marra Stookey for $6,000.00.

Another example: 216 Franklin Street says prior to 1998 it was owned by Neill Hancock Administration. In 1998 Neill Hancock Administration sold it to a Susan Schultz. (no price given) In 2001 Susan Schultz sold it to Monet Pit, LTD. (no price given) In 2007 Monet Pit, LTD sold it to a Claudia Hand for $70,103.00.

God Of Thunder

and I'm sure they were bought and transferred with fraudulent titles too..

Julie R.

I wouldn't doubt it. When it comes to Erie County, I wouldn't trust anything they do with property. I have records that show how a Lorain County attorney was allowed to take permanent records to property out of the Erie County Recorder's office right after that sneaky fraudulent transfer of my mother's half seven months before her death. The letter says that he "placed the deed(s) with the Lorain County auditor." Now why they did that I don't know, unless they were trying to conceal the fact that the property was not owned jointly. If so, it didn't work.

( O.R.C.5309.96 Instruments shall not be taken from office - copies )


Hey NoAnswerPerson:

Why don't you take your own advice---open up your purse and put your money where your mouth is---ya should have bought the property.


Loss in property tax must be outa this world on all these propertys, A few new houses buildt on some of this land would be a great start.


If you knew Sandusky a long time ago, it breaks your heart to see it now But it can never be brought back.


You said that before. Are you talking about buzzing the ave?



Especially downtown is sad to look at.


Gee, shizzle, where have you been? It's looking good downtown.


DGMutley ?

It's looking better, I wouldn't call it "good".
You must not be a LONG time resident.


It's sad to watch city centers decay especially when historically interesting structures stand under the looming wrecking ball. Building #1 and #2 are in my opinion worth rescuing for that purpose alone. I am not sure if razing buildings and leaving empty lots is the solution to the much larger problem here. In addition to an active preservation society there should be alternatives to demolition.


Sure would be nice to know the numbers on how many of the foreclosed houses in Sandusky are purchased for rehab vs demolition. I'd say demo far outnumbers rehab.

Also keep in mind, every time the wrecking ball knocks down a rental home the ratio of rental vs owner occupied goes down.

old dog

I want to know who rattled Julie's cage and let her out again!!



Julie R.

Somebody sure did rattle the cage of my courthouse buddy Sam to come up with that "new" comical law that basically says: "If property is fraudulently transferred before the deaths of the elderly owners to the properties, the defects in the titles can be cleared up by selling the properties at a sheriff sale under fraud preliminary judicial reports that falsely state there are no defects in the title."

That's about as good as the one that I heard from an assistant prosecutor once: "A recorder of a county is required by law to file everything she's given to file on property, no matter how untrue, incorrect, or fraudulent she knows the filings to be."

With "laws" like that, no wonder there's so many rental properties in corrupt Erie County!