MOUNT VERNON — Once again, city officials have had to press the owner of the old middle school to get the building secured.
On May 16, Safety-Service Director Dave Glass wrote the owner a letter stating the building is accessible to vandals, and asked him to have certain entry points resealed to prevent people from entering the building. The letter was addressed to John Mertz, managing member of Kokosing River Residential Care Facility, the entity named on county tax records as the owner of the building.
The old middle school has been the target of break-ins several times in recent years. In March 2007, city officials filed criminal misdemeanor charges against the owner for failing to maintain the property and to keep it secured from break-ins. The charges were subsequently dropped because the owner cooperated and met the city’s basic maintenance and security requirements.
City ordinance requires property owners to maintain their properties and meet certain standards to avoid devaluing the properties of their neighbors.
Glass attached a copy of a Mount Vernon Police report, dated May 15, with his letter to Mertz. According to the report, the investigating officer indentified a number of possible entry points, including a door on the west side of the building, where a wooden panel had been knocked out; a door ajar on the north side that allowed access to part of the basement and auditorium; and a room on the south side that can be accessed, where children had been burning objects and spray painting the walls.
“From what I could see inside, little progress has been made in the last year to fix the place up,” the report reads.
On Wednesday, Glass said that Larry Fogle, the city’s code enforcement officer, has been in communication with members of the owner’s maintenance crew about getting the building sealed.
Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis said his office received a phone call from Mertz on Wednesday. According to the mayor, Mertz said he appreciated the work of the police department and Glass’s letter, and had the possible entry points resealed.
According to Fogle, the front and back entrances have been temporarily secured, but there is a room on the south side of the building that could provide shelter for trespassers. This room does not provide direct access to the main building.
