Landlords, don’t let your houses devolve into eyesores

Landlords, don’t let your houses devolve into eyesores

EDITOR:

This should be of interest to the entire community of Youngstown.

On the Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, abandoned and neglected houses were burnt to the ground by arsonists. True, these houses should have been demolished years ago, especially with them being located only a half block north of the campus of YSU. These houses and the ones still existing have been nothing but eyesores to students past and future and the families that support them to achieve a higher education and career goal. Although we’ve lost some beautiful homes of yesteryear to the plight of drug abusers and vagrants, a beacon of hope and a good future arises from the ashes.

The day after the Pennsylvania Avenue fires occurred, my landlord, David Reese, used his financial resources to secure any passageways to the inside of the remaining seven houses that still stand as eyesores. He doesn’t own any of these properties, but out of heart and pride he used his money to supply materials and fund the cost of labor to better secure these remaining properties that still exist so close to fraternity houses and a YSU dormitory.

I find it to be a shame that more landlords throughout the city do not take an interest in “their” neighborhoods and only worry about the rent from the properties they own.

I can only hope that other property owners across our community and will one day do whatever it takes to secure their neighborhoods and the people within and to help maintain the safety and health of the unmentioned heroes, our valiant firemen.

STEVEN DEMIDOVICH

Youngstown