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Commission orders 30-day demolition for two condemned Pampa houses after code hearings
Summary
After public hearings, the commission issued 30-day demolition orders for structures at 308 North Christie and for a property read in the record as 831 South Barnes; code enforcement recommended condemnation because of collapsing roofs and interior failure.
The Pampa City Commission opened public hearings and subsequently issued 30-day demolition orders for two residential structures the city identified as substandard.
Jeff Kennedy, the city's code enforcement officer, described the property at 308 North Christie as severely deteriorated and said the roof was collapsing and parts of the building were separating. "There was no way to secure the house anymore. The roof is collapsing in. Part of it's falling apart," Kennedy said, and recommended condemnation and removal. The commission closed the hearing, then voted to issue a 30-day demolition order listing ordering numbers 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 19 and 20 in the form of a substandard building order; the motion carried by voice vote with no opposition recorded in the transcript.
The commission then opened a public hearing that was read in the record as concerning a property at 831 South Barnes (the clerk also referenced other wording during the reading). Kennedy told the commission that the structure had long been in disrepair and that the floor was caving inward; he said the property had appeared the same for the roughly 25 years he had been in town and that occupants had asked him not to photograph the interior. He recommended condemnation and demolition, calling the property "a blight on the neighborhood." The commission closed the hearing and moved to issue a 30-day demolition order in the same form; that motion also carried.
Why it matters: The orders require owners to remove or repair structures declared substandard and are part of the city's effort to address blighted properties that, according to staff, pose safety hazards and depress neighboring property conditions.
Details and procedure: No owner representatives appeared at the hearings to contest the condemnations, according to the meeting record. The orders were issued under the city's substandard building procedures and specify a 30-day period for compliance or removal. The commission's minutes record the formal motions and voice votes but do not list a roll-call vote in the transcript.
Record note: The transcript shows inconsistent address references for the second property—the clerk at one point read the item as 601 North Wind, then as 831 South Barnes, and agenda text later referenced 831 South Lawrence. The commission's adopted order and the official minutes should be consulted for the definitive legal property description and address.
