Resident raises safety concerns about crumbling facade on Liberty Street; city says owner will repair

A Warren City resident told the council during the June 16 public comment period that masonry had fallen from the front of a property on Liberty Street and that the exposed plywood at the storefront was rotted and unsecured.

The resident, identified in the record as Peterson, said he and his wife had contacted the city about the hazard and that a portion of the facade had fallen to the sidewalk. "I would just like to know, like, what we're going to do about that situation if it's obviously very dangerous," Peterson said.

City staff replied that the sidewalk in front of the property had been secured and a temporary pedestrian walkway was opened where parking spots had been closed to allow passage. Randy (city staff) said he and the city manager had met with the property owner, Tom Christian, who had brought a lift and planned to have masons repoint bricks in sections rather than removing all the plywood at once. Randy told Peterson that the owner said he planned to make repairs "this week ASAP or within a week or two," and that the city had begun a code-enforcement timeline that includes notices and, if necessary, abatement and liening of the property.

City staff said the plywood had been installed previously by a contractor under an earlier owner as a temporary measure and that the city would follow the formal code-enforcement process if the owner failed to complete repairs. The city did not state a single firm completion date; staff said the enforcement clock had been started.