Savannah Man says Eyesore Has to Go

Many homeowners take pride in how their home and yards look.
Some spend hours in their gardens, mowing their grass and making sure it’s in tip top shape but what if your neighborhood does nothing.
For one East Side Resident that’s what they’ve been dealing with for close to twenty years… so they called News Three hoping for some help.
On Your Side Community Reporter Alice Massimi has more on this community eyesore.

For close to thirty years Willie Ellis has called this home.   
A quiet neighborhood, he loves to spend his day on the front porch of his East 40th Street home. It’s a tranquil setting except for one thing. 
“I would still watch it and that door right there I’ve nailed it up three times,” says Willie pointing to boards covering a doorway on the building right next to his. 
Once a nice home it is now an eyesore.   
“The lady died and her children were in there but they left. I don’t know what happened,” explains Willie.
It is however easy to see what didn’t happen, the wood is rotting, the paint is peeling and a tree has fallen on the house, leaving a gaping hole.
“They won’t take care of anything. We keep calling and calling for them to cut the grass and it keeps growing up and up. It’s dangerous because of the snakes and rats and roaches,” says Willie.
So why has it been allowed to fall into disrepair, well the city says they’re doing what they can, they’ve cited it with vacant and unsafe violations but the problem is they cant find the owner :05 City Property Maintenance Inspector Marvin Sapp explains it takes time and a significant amount of paperwork .
“If there are a lot of problems, if it’s not defined who the heir is, if there are multiple violations all these stages take time and we have to allot them time to take care of it themselves,” explains Sapp.
Familiar with this property he says the city is doing its best and is hoping to have the problem corrected fairly soon.
For Willie who’s been waiting for so long it can’t some soon enough. 
“I wish they would tear it down or something,” says a hopeful Willie. 

If you have a property maintenance complaint or have a question about the rules in the city of savannah either dial 3-1-1 or log onto the city of savannah’s website.