Gegg Property Declared Nuisance
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By MARK EVANS
STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD
Attention is again turning to a dilapidated building in the heart of the downtown Ste. Genevieve historic district.
The building at 42 South Main, most recently a Skelgas store and originally a store and residence built by merchant Charles H. Biehl in the late 1880s or early 1890s. It was known as the Ratchet Store later in the 19th century.
It is even said to have a vertical log structure from an earlier period within it.
Workers perform emergency abatement work for the city on the Gegg building at 42 South Main in 2018. The former store of 19th-century merchant Charles H. Biehl has continued to be a deteriorating eyesore in the midst of the historic district.
For some 15 years, the building has been considered an eyesore by neighbors and has led to numerous complaints to the city.
David Bova, assistant city administrator, read off the long history of actions taken during a public hearing as part of last Thursday night’s board of aldermen meeting.
City Attorney Mark Bishop advised the board to follow all formal protocol, which included City Clerk Pam Meyer swearing Bova in as a witness before his “testimony” about the property.
Bova showed slides taken various years, corresponding with notices and warnings sent to the owner, Deborah Gegg, in 2009, 2016, 2018, etc. Complaints have included overgrown vegetation, trash in the yard, and deterioration of the building itself.
Bova noted that the building again has holes that are allowing squirrels and other animals into the building. This same situation occurred in 2018, leading to the city to declare the property a nuisance and perform emergency repairs and painting as an abatement for a cost of $2,263.
Bishop clarified that abatements are done to a property to eliminate a public nuisance or code violation, not to “make it beautiful” or more valuable.
Bova said nuisance notices were sent to Gegg in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Public hearings were held in 2016 and 2018 and the property was declared a public nuisance in 2018, leading to that abatement. At that time, a warrant was issued for Gegg’s arrest and Ste. Genevieve police staked out the parking lot of her alleged place of employment in another county, to no avail.
On April 11 this year, another notice was mailed to Gegg. Other attempts were made to contact Gegg by phone, email, through family members, etc. Most letters were returned. Notices were also placed in the Herald and in the Washington Missourian.
Bova said there was no response until that morning, when a registered letter arrived from Gegg. It included a $300 money order to pay for mowing. The grass, though, is only part of the problem.
Bova went over current issues.
“There are multiple broken plate glass windows on the front,” he said. In the case of one window, he added that, “You can see that the wood is falling off of the window.” In another instance the top half of a double-hung window is about to fall back into the building.
The city recently did more vegetation abatement. This exposed more problems with the building, Bova said. There are again several holes, a decaying soffit, etc.
Bishop asked whether animals can get into the building. Bova said squirrels have been seen going in and out.
The back porch and a ramp leading to it are near collapse, Bova said.
“You could easily step through that,” he said.
Mortar has also worn away from the foundation stones.
Bishop asked Bova if he felt it was a public nuisance that requires abatement by the city. Bova said he did.
Ward 3 Alderman Joe Steiger asked Bova whether he felt residents walking on the sidewalk in front of the building could be in any danger.
“Yes,” he said, indicating the plate glass windows could feasibly fall on someone.
Bova later said that another $3,900 has been spent of the property in addition to the $2,263 from 2018. The first figure as been put as a tax lien on the property.
After the board voted to go ahead with the abatement, Sam Ewing, a neighbor who has complained bout the property before, addressed the board.
“I’ve been dealing with this property since 2006,” he said. “I’ve been before you in 2016 and 2017. I’ve been to the aldermen about the money that was put as a lien on her property and I went to the county to get them to try to get it and they refused. They said that was something the city had to do, not the county.”
He said his driveway has been damaged by rain coming off the roof of that building. Windowsills have also fallen on his property. Plus, snakes, skunks and other wildlife have increased in his yard.
He said several people have expressed interest in buying the building.
“The lien against it is just going to stay there because she’s not going to pay it,” he said. “What I was trying to do in 2010 was take that lien and make it where the person would have to pay it immediately or something drastic would happen. You guys didn’t want to do anything; the county didn’t want to do anything.”