Aging homes a problem for city
HUNTINGTON -- Tonia Page and her neighbors complained for three years about the downward spiral of the house at 1835 9th Ave.
It began with tall weeds and garbage that attracted rats and other vermin. Then, drug dealers and prostitutes began using it as a place to get high.
Fortunately, Page says, the house has not caught fire. The same can't be said for dozens of other abandoned homes in the area.
In the next few weeks, the house at 1835 9th Ave. will be demolished, as will 13 other derelict properties in Huntington. It's a small victory, considering the city's Unsafe Building Commission ordered the demolition of 62 homes in 2006 while the housing inspector and fire marshals identified about 220 more that were either fire-damaged, unsafe or in need of major upgrades.
And there could be hundreds more that have not yet been identified or are a couple of years away from falling into disrepair.
