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By Damian Mann February 01. 2016 4:06PM City threatens to foreclose on abandoned houses Nuisance and abandoned properties like this one at 205 Chestnut St. are facing foreclosure by the city of Medford due to unpaid cleanup bills. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Medford officials are about to turn up the heat on 29 property owners after the city paid to haul away trash and deal with other nuisance issues over the years. The city is expected to begin foreclosure proceedings on properties for which the owners haven't pay the amount owed, plus interest, for work conducted by the city. “We try to board them up as fast as we can so they don’t become a problem,” Medford police Interim Chief Randy Sparacino said. To date, the delinquent property owners owe the city almost $54,000. Of that, just over $12,000 is interest, because no payments have been received since 2011. In the past, the city has started the foreclosure process on nuisance properties after dealing with a variety of issues, including rat infestations and trash accumulation. Many of the properties have been abandoned. City Council will consider a resolution Thursday that would start the foreclosure process. The city has placed liens on a total of 50 properties in the city but is working with some owners to make arrangements for payments to avoid the foreclosure step. The largest bill of $11,372 is at 205 Chestnut Street and owned by Stanley Hagist, who also owes three years of property taxes at $4,264. “It needs to be knocked down,” said James “ZZ” Samuel, a 65-year-old neighbor. “This is one of the worst in the neighborhood. The roof is wide open.” He said he applauded the city for taking steps to foreclose on the Chestnut property, but he said a half-dozen houses in the neighborhood are in bad shape and should be demolished. Samuel said the house was severely damaged in a fire and had been used as a “drug house.” “The real trouble was seeing high school kids going in and out of there,” he said. Over the years, the house has had rat infestations and a leaking sewer line, Samuel said. “That would be a good place for a sinkhole,” he said. Across the street from 205 Chestnut, two other houses are abandoned and have been boarded up. Only one property on the foreclosure list — at 1525 Siskiyou Blvd. — is owned by a bank, GMAC Mortgage, which owes the city $2,924. The city has had a difficult time getting some property owners to even respond to its inquiries, but city officials say the foreclosure action often triggers a fairly rapid response from delinquent property owners. The city has put foreclosure actions on hold for several years because many property owners were facing financial difficulties as a result of the recession. The city started going after delinquent accounts again in 2013. Abandoned houses can attract homeless people and can occasionally attract those who do drugs, Sparacino said. The city attempts to deal with nuisance properties as quickly as possible, but first tries to get compliance from the property owner. Taking action can be difficult with bank-owned properties or properties owned by people who live out of town, Sparacino said. “It can be a lengthy process,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow on Twitter at @reporterdm . http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160201/NEWS/160209965 © 2016 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->