Boardman Trustees say they’ll fix rundown apartment issue

BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — Boardman Trustees told residents of a Boardman neighborhood at a meeting Tuesday they are aware of a rundown apartment building causing concern. They said they sympathize with the residents and are working to fix the problem.

Most meeting attendees live on Oles Avenue near Matthews and Sheridan roads, where the apartment is located.

Fire Safety Inspector Lt. Tom Donadee said the owner can no longer care for it. It's not in bad enough shape to require an emergency demolition, but they're working with the state fire marshall on other issues.

"In this case, there's multiple large penetrations in the structure. What that means is where you see this wall — in that building, the dry wall's missing and you're open right up to the structure. So, if there were a fire in that structure, that fire would spread rapidly," he said.

The Mahoning County prosecutor has also foreclosed the building, which could result in a sheriff's sale. There's also a person living in the building. Boardman is working with Catholic Charities to try and get him removed.