Wellsville: Village hits pause button on house demolition

Fire damaged home in question on North Broad Street

For twenty-five minutes Monday night, village trustee's discussed whether or not to order the demolition of a fire ravaged home on North Broad Street. The home in question and a neighboring structure were gutted by flames in 2017. The home under review is owned by Mike and Marcia Dunn of Coudersport. They purchased one property during a county tax sale in 2018. What they didn't realize at the time, was that the property now under discussion was part of the deal. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dunn attended the hearing.

Code Enforcement Officer Jo Fenske (right) shows her finding and photos of the property to the village board

The meeting began with a methodical outline of the situation by Village Code Enforcement Officer Jo Fenske. She said the structure was "severely compromised," noting it was unlivable with foundation issues as well. Fenske recommended demolition. Mike Dunn told the Board "no question, it's unsafe." He added, "I wasn't the responsible party that created the problem," saying the fire occurred before he purchased it. Dunn respectfully said, "I didn't create the mess." Mayor Randy Shayler replied, but..."you own the mess." Shayler did say "we feel for your situation," but added that he didn't want to create a precedent.

Property owner Mike Dunn makes his point to the village board

The Dunn's said they were nearing litigation with the previous owner and simply didn't have $28,000 to demolish the building and haul the rubble away. The village law says that once the owners receive written notification, they have ten days to begin demolition with completion within thirty days. The village board then voted 5-0 to defer a decision until August 12th. Mayor Shayler cautioned the Dunn's that while they have added time to resolve issues, the village board will most likely order the home torn down.