Building and safety officer reports on progress in the city

[July 29, 2010]  At the Tuesday evening meeting of the Lincoln City Council as a committee of the whole, Alderman Tom O'Donohue told the council that the city's building and safety officer, John Lebegue, has issued a report on his department's recent activities. O'Donohue said that Lebegue plans to give out written reports of his activities on a regular basis.

After the meeting, Lebegue provided a copy of the report to the press. Below is a verbatim copy of that report.

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BUILDING AND SAFETY DEPARTMENT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Expansion of 5th Street Food Market

Cliff McCumber, the owner of the 5th Street Food Market and the C & C Cycles obtained a demolition permit on July 23, 2010 to demolish the property at 1314 5th Street in preparation for the expansion of the Food Market with the installation of an additional canopy and gasoline pump island this fall. In addition to improving the 5th Street Food Market, Cliff McCumber recently purchased the property at 1302 5th Street and is relocating the C&C Cycles from 1314 5th Street to that property, which was previously an abandoned, vacant gas station. Cliff is in the process of making substantial exterior improvements to the property and all debris and inoperable vehicles previously stored on the property have been removed. The expansion of the 5th Street Food Market, coupled with the relocation of C & C Cycles and the improvement of the property at 1302 5 Street, will have a very positive impact on that area of 5th Street.

Expansion of the A Storage Box

Merrill Corley, the owner of the A Storage Box at 1730 5th Street has been in contact with me on the expansion of the self-storage facility. Mr. Corley is in negotiation with the owners of the bowling alley to purchase a small area of their property in order to construct an additional storage building on the east side of the property. Mr. Corley is also in negotiating with the property owner to the west and north to construct additional buildings in those locations as well. Per a conversation with Mr. Corley, I learned that the storage facility has been very successful and is at almost completely rented out and he needs additional rental space to meet demands.

After lengthy court proceedings, the property at 1001 N. Kickapoo has finally been cleared of all the waste and debris placed there by former tenant Mark Gates. Mr. Gates recently removed all materials from the exterior and interior of the property, finally bringing the property into compliance with City maintenance requirements. Lloyd Mason, the owner of the property at 1001 N. Kickapoo obtained a building permit to make revisions to the interior of the building to convert it to rental storage units on both the first and second floor. Mr. Mason plans on installing fencing around the property and in making exterior repairs to the building to improve the appearance. According to Mr. Mason, conversion of the interior to individual storage units is Phase One of site improvements, with the construction of additional storage buildings and the creation of exterior storage areas being Phase Two. The cleanup and reuse of the property at 1001 N. Kickapoo is a very welcome improvement in that area of the city, which I am sure is appreciated by neighboring property owners.

Expansion of the Rio Grande Restaurant at 3901 Woodlawn Road

Ernesto Leon, the owner of the Rio Grande Restaurant at 3901 Woodlawn Road, contacted me to inquire what would be required from a building code perspective to expand his restaurant use into the adjacent vacant commercial space. Ernesto is contemplating improving the vacant space with 44 additional seats and the installation of an additional men and women's bathroom. The Rio Grande Restaurant is one of Lincoln's most successful restaurants and the proposed expansion is evidence of this success. The Building and Safety Dept. will work closely with Ernesto to make this expansion as seamless as possible, as this is exactly the type of activity that is needed to improve the vitality of our business community.

Construction of the new Humane Society Facility

On July 20, 2010 a building permit was issued for the construction of the new Humane Society facility at 1801 Lincoln Parkway. The facility is going to be constructed by the students from the Lincoln Land Technical Institute, which is affiliated with the Lincoln Community High School.

Cleanup and Interior and Exterior Repair of Abandoned Gas Station

On July 23, 2010 a building permit was issued to M.T.C. to make extensive exterior and interior repairs to the abandoned gas station at 602 Woodlawn Road. According to a representative from M.T.C., Valero recently acquired PrimeCore, which previously held the lease on the property at 602 Woodlawn. The property at 602 Woodlawn and the adjacent vacant lot to the west are currently owned by Illico.

As the new leaseholder of the property, Valero is going to replace the roof, repair the canopy, replace damaged electrical, HV AC and plumbing equipment, repair the exterior of the building and overlay the parking lot.

The improvements are not being made to re-establish a gas station at the location, but to make the property more marketable for reuse. In addition to the repairs to 602 Woodlawn, the contractor stated that they are likely going to remove the concrete from the vacant lot to east and restore it with topsoil to make that property more attractive for redevelopment. The improvements to the vacant properties will definitely improve the view at that busy intersection and the Building and Safety Dept. will work to find a viable new user for the property that will further benefit that area.

Recent Court Activities

July 8, 2010 - A $3,300 judgment was awarded the City against Rex Gill for chronic code violations at 1012 N. McLean. Mr. Gill has ignored ordinance violation notices and has constituted a blighting influence on the neighborhood for a long period of time and the court judgment is an appropriate punishment for maintaining such a nuisance.

July 5, 2010 - Sarah Logan, the owner of the condemned, fire-damaged property at 546 10th Street appeared in court and explained to the judge that she is in final negotiations to sell the property so that it can be fully cleaned up and repaired. Prior to the court date

Ms. Logan met with me and I strongly encouraged her to make immediate arrangements to repair or sell the property to avoid substantial fines for her failure to repair the property and to explain this to the judge when she appeared in court.

Following my advice, Ms. Logan took action and procured a buyer and within the next few months, the exterior of the property will be brought into compliance and the property will no longer constitute a blighting influence on that neighborhood.

July 15, 2010 -- the owner of the condemned, fire damaged property at 219 S. Kickapoo appeared in court and explained that he is in negotiation to sell the property and that either he or the new owner will demolish the condemned building within a short period of time.

Both 546 10th street and 219 S. Kickapoo have been condemned and in violation of City ordinances for more than a year and their upcoming repair and demolition is a major source of progress.

July 19, 2010 - On July 19, 2010 the City was involved in a jury trial against Lee Bryant Barnes for violation of the ordinance that prohibits the parking and storage of a boat in the front yard of his property at 304 Grand.

The jury found Mr. Barnes guilty of the ordinance violation and a judgment of $1,100 was granted to the City for the violation. This case originally began in June 18, 2009, and it is a relief that this matter is finally concluded.

Prior to the trial, Mr. Barnes had moved the boat into the rear yard of the property to eliminate the violation, so as of today no violation exists at the property.

Partnership with the Police Department

Recently the Building and Safety Department has worked cooperatively on the removal of vehicles and equipment from the City streets and in identifying problem areas that the respective department will then address. The improved communication between the Police Department and the Building and Safety Department will definitely prove beneficial to both departments and the City as a whole. The building and Safety Department continues to enjoy a very cooperative relationship with the Fire, Street and Sewer departments, which aids in enforcement efforts.

[Report copied from file received]