Spring cleanup: Eldorado continues to demolish derelict homes

ELDORADO - The city of Eldorado takes spring cleaning seriously.

On Tuesday, city workers demolished a derelict home on the corner of Pike and King streets, one of about 25 that likely will be torn down this year.

"We tear down somewhere between 20 and 30 a year," city worker Josh Griffin said as he and fellow city employee Doug "Shag" Williams took a break from operating their backhoes to move the machines.

Griffin said he's been helping the city demolish eyesore houses for a little more than seven years.

Eldorado combats abandoned derelict properties by locating owners and then acquiring the property. Often, owners do not have an adequate amount of money to renovate a home in bad shape, nor the money to demolish it, Mayor Rocky James said.

In many cases, too, the owners have been unable to see the property and frequently, too, property taxes have been neglected. Often, James said, they will deed the property to the city.

The city then will sell it, with an agreement in place with the new owner to rehab the property. Usually, the new owner will pay for the cost of demolition Dumpsters while the city provides the manpower and equipment to tear down the structure.

"This way, we can clean up properties that are an eyesore to a neighborhood and get these properties back on the tax rolls," James said.

Griffin said an average-sized home will fill a 30-cubic-yard Dumpster four to five times. About eight to 10 hours of work is required to down an average-sized house, he said.

James Parker, the Eldorado resident who bought this particular home and lot, said he's been looking forward to the house being torn down. Parker's home, a well-maintained ranch-style house with a double garage, sits across the street.

"It was in bad shape," Parker said. "It needed to be torn down a long time ago."