Residents of the tidy Golf Course Acres neighborhood are fed up with Fire Hendricks and all her excuses for not fixing up her house, which was condemned by the Colodrado Springs Code Enforcement officers in 1998.
The house is owned by Fire Hendricks, 72, who says she bought it in 1965. It was condemned after emergency crews responding to a call for help were shocked at what they saw inside.
Ken Lewis, city code enforcement administrator, said Hendricks is a hoarder who filled the house with junk. Standing water in the basement led to a dangerous mold problem throughout the house.
Over the years, the house has deteriorated from neglect. Windows are broken allowing tree limbs to grow into the house.
The roof is collapsing, holes are covered with plastic. But they can’t keep the squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife out of the house.
Neighbors want the city to force Hendricks to do something with the house. Those who have been inside say it’s too far gone to repair. They say it should be razed. They’ve even offered to buy it from Hendricks, but she refuses to sell. Here’s a view of the neighborhood from FlashEarth.com.
The El Paso County Assessor’s Office values the house at about $57,000.
Hendricks said she has volunteers lined up to roof and paint the house if she can get materials.
She also needs to empty the house to allow for repairs. But she said she has no where to put all the stuff inside. Hendricks said she recently downsized her possessions from 11 storage lockers to 9 lockers. She said her belongs are too valuable just to give away.
Hendricks said she makes $238 a month in Social Security as well as some unemployment benefits.
Lewis said his officers have done everything they can to help her. But he said she refuses to cooperate. The city’s blight ordinance calls for his agency to start fining her $500 every three months until she comes into compliance.
If she still refuses to comply, she could face criminal charges and eventually the city could raze the structure.
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