Commissioners condemn eight Center St. homes

WINTER GARDEN — Winter Garden leaders condemned more properties to beautify several streets on the east side. City commissioners voted at their Oct. 9 meeting to condemn and allow demolition of eight small, dilapidated houses on Center Street.

The four houses at 301 Center St. are owned by 28.51 Orange III LLC; Emmit Charles Haggins and Edward Lee Johnson own the four at 281 Center St. Only one of the eight was occupied, and the city is helping the woman and her son find alternate housing.

Charlie Mae Wilder, a Winter Garden resident and former city commissioner, thanked the officials for stepping in and said it took her two years to sell her property on nearby 11th Street because of the condition of the adjacent properties.

The four houses at 301 were built in 1925, 1940 and 1946. The largest measures 668 square feet.

“They have been there a long time, prior to current (building) codes,” said Steve Pash, the city’s code-enforcement manager.

The four homes at 281 range in size from 273 to 360 square feet and were built in 1939, 1940 and 1946.

 Once the city tears down the buildings, a lien will be placed against the two properties.

“Complaints have come for a while for help in cleaning up the neighborhoods,” Pash said.

City officials also agreed to spend $12,000 to purchase the half-acre property and building at 227 10th St., the former home of Macedonia Lodge No. 49. Officials will pursue options before making a commitment to tear it down, too, although that is the recommendation of Community Development Director Ed Williams.

The two-story structure was built in 1956 and was for many years the home of Macedonia Masonic Lodge No. 49. The building has been vacant for years, it is full of termites, part of the roof is missing, and the interior is dilapidated, Pash said.

“We will have a structural engineer look at it and see where to go from here,” he said. “It’s not in good shape.”

FP Consultants LLC purchased the property in August, and representatives had requested a permit from the city to rebuild the roof. According to City Commission Bob Buchanan, the building has been receiving code violations since 2005.

Robert Daniel Keel, of Masonic Lodge No. 165, on West Bay Street, asked permission to obtain the building’s cornerstone and any other Masonic materials.

“Knowing how this city protects its heritage, we’d be happy to preserve the cornerstone or anything else,” Keel said.

Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at [email protected].

IN OTHER NEWS

• The commission approved the annexation and rezoning of a 39-acre parcel at 17806 Marsh Road and a 9.5-acre piece of property on the south side of Seidner Road, both on the western boundary of Orange County.

• Commissioners passed the first reading and public hearing of proposed ordinances annexing and rezoning approximately a quarter of an acre at 1030 Vineland Road. The second reading of these ordinances is Oct. 23.

• The commission voted to purchase a $200 advertisement in the program for the 8th Annual Veterans and Families of Veterans Appreciation event, to be held Nov. 1 at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, Winter Garden. The city purchases an ad annually.