City will demolish unsafe house

HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council last week decided to use the wrecking ball to get rid of a house they have deemed as a public health risk and a public nuisance.

After four years of warnings, and several attempts by the city to clean up the property at 401 South Aberly, owned by Sherri Bear, the City Council voted unanimously last week to demolish the buildings on the property this fall.

Before voting to demolish the house, Council members debated if they had given the property owner enough time to clean up the property.

Since June of 2019, the city has approved six seperate resolutions for a property abatement, which allows the city to go onto the property to clean it up and then charge the cost of that work to the property owner. Each time the city has gone on the property to clean it up, the garbage returns, however.

The Public Health Board recently toured the property and deemed it unfit for human habitation.

Council members were hoping to have the demolition done Oct. 30, but several obstacles will need to be overcome before that can happen.

The decision to demolish the house is not one the Council takes lightly, said Mayor Mark Becker.

'We've gone up there I don't know how many times now to clean it up,' Becker said. 'We've tried and tried to work with the property owner, she's not responding to our requests.'

The cost of the demolition will be recouped as a lien placed against the property at the county courthouse. Before the property can be sold, the lien must then be satisfied.

Hartington City Clerk Brittni Benscoter said there are several hoops the city must jump through before the house can be demolished.

A demolition company must be hired. Law enforcement must be available to be on scene at the time of the demolition. Utility companies must be contacted to discontinue service to the property. A representative from animal welfare also needs to be on hand to make sure there are no animals in the house at the time of demolition.