Abandoned Rocky River homes finally taken down after 10 years

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio - Residents living in Rock River's Aberdeen Court subdivision said they had been living next to two abandoned homes for more than 10 years.

But just a few weeks ago, their neighborhood received a long-awaited boost, after both homes were finally taken down. Both rundown eyesores were well known to Rocky River residents, located on a busy Center Ridge Road, near some of the cities best neighborhoods.

Aberdeen Court resident Jerry Kubiak finally got tired of looking at the vacant structures, and decided to contact NewsChannel5's Building Better Neighborhoods on Dec. 28.

"Anyone from our community that looked in that direction could see these old dilapidated houses," said Kubiak. "So I contacted NewsChannel5 and got the information I needed to get our neighborhood on the right track."

Kubiak and other residents, sent in pictures and information on the vacant homes to NewsChannel5 through Building Better Neighborhoods, and 5 On Your Side forwarded the information to the Rocky River Building Department.

Kubiak then contacted Rocky River City Hall, and after a series of follow-up meetings and phone calls, the vacant homes were finally demolished six months later.

Kubiak emailed NewsChannel5 the good news on July 6:

"Just wanted let you know that there is a happy ending in the subject property. After my involving the Rocky River Councilman, Jim Moran, the building inspector, Bart Connell, and Mayor Pam Bobst the houses and related storage buildings were torn down and the property leveled with top soil, straw and grass seed."

"The results are beautiful and there is, in my estimate, about 2 more acres of green space in Rocky River."

Aberdeen Court residents report the owner of the property was extremely cooperative during the demolition of the houses.

Meanwhile, NewsChannel5 invites residents to volunteer in their communities, and report vacant homes in their neighborhoods through its Building Better Neighborhoods initiative, click here for more information .

Kubiak urged other residents to take action, especially if they've been dealing with vacant home in their neighborhoods.

"NewsChannel5 pointed us in the right direction," said Kubiak. "You just have to make sure you're contacting the right people, and good results are possible."