GIFFORD — Neighbors gathered on 27th Avenue in Gifford Wednesday morning to cheer on wreckers who had arrived to demolish a home that had become an eyesore and a danger to the community.
“This is a beautiful thing,” said Johnnie McGriff, who lives next door to the rundown house.
Henry Fischer & Son donated the heavy equipment and manpower to tear down the house, located at 4431 27th Avenue, which had become overrun with stray cats and pests. “We’re just going to smash it,” supervisor and excavator operator Pat Price said before starting the demolition. “Knocking it down is the fun part.”
Julianne Price, of the Indian River County Health Department and organizer of the PACE Program, said the Gifford community identified the abandoned home as one needing to be removed.
Since April 2009, PACE has helped tear down 10 homes throughout the county, including Wabasso, Fellsmere and Gifford. The homes, otherwise, would probably remain standing and become public health and safety issues.
In the case of the 27th Avenue home in Gifford, the homeowner had passed away and left the home to a daughter. The daughter, though able to pay taxes on the property, could not afford to have the house torn down on her own and was able to qualify for assistance which came Wednesday.
“I’m glad” the house is being removed, said neighbor Johnnie Jones. He has lived next door to the property for a decade, during which time he has seen it become more and more dilapidated and never lived in.
Sedgrick McGriff, said the removal of the house will mean a lot to the community not having such an eyesore.
“I’m just full of joy,” said Zachon Davis.
More than three-quarters of the Gifford community have identified deserted buildings and cars as their No. 1 issue within the community.
“That’s why we’re doing this,” said Price.
With abandoned homes can come a host of problems, according to Price. Such concerns can include the arrival of squatters — in this case, stray cats — drug dealing and prostitution.
One house recently torn down in the county yielded a loaded sawed-off shotgun, Price said. The house had been left open to the elements, which meant that anyone could have gone inside and found the gun.
There are four other Gifford properties PACE is working to remove and Price hopes to have those completed sometime next year as funds become available.
On Tuesday, the Indian River County Board of Commissioners approved up to $10,000 to cover the cost of dumping the remnants of the homes at the county landfill. Those funds will be used for the 27th Avenue home and the other four properties targeted for demolition.
PACE — or Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environment Health — holds monthly meetings in Gifford to address community issues, such as abandoned homes. The meetings are held on the third Monday at 6 p.m. at the Gifford Community Center and are open to the public.
For more information about PACE or the home removal program, call Julianne Price at (772) 794-7445 or (772) 473-5187.