Dec 18, 2017 3 min read

As in other cities in our region and across the country, the condition of rental properties around the City of Washington varies greatly. Unfortunately, in some cases, the places people call home are ticking time bombs.

That was illustrated in July when a building at 15 N. Main St. in Washington collapsed, trapping a woman inside for hours and creating a lengthy, major disruption on a busy street through town.

In the months before the collapse, residents there had complained about unsafe living conditions in the building, even finding a large crack in one of the inside walls. The property owner, Mark Russo, was cited by the city and was preparing for a court hearing when the roof caved in. He’s still awaiting a hearing months later.

Now, problems at other properties in the city are being exposed.

Sterling Jones told City Council last week he is concerned about his former apartment building at 8 W. Maiden St., which he and one other resident claim is in disrepair. In addition to the safety of these residents, it’s concerning that the building is located at such an important location in the city at Maiden and South Main streets.

City officials promised Jones they would look into the issue.

“After what happened with 15 N. Main St., the city’s trying to be more proactive in dealing with these problems,” Councilman Ken Westcott said.

The city already is taking action elsewhere.

Last week, it erected fencing around a longtime eyesore at North Main and West Chestnut streets. The city is now looking into taking possession of the building, which has changed ownership numerous times, and then eventually demolishing it.

But while these old buildings are falling into disrepair, others in Washington are being rehabilitated by local business owners in a Main Street business district that is starting to thrive.

The development of new restaurants, coffee shops, whiskey distilleries and even a brewery in recent years, coupled with completion of the streetscape project on South Main Street, has changed the business district’s landscape. A business incubator is being developed in a partnership between Observer Publishing Co. and Washington & Jefferson College that will give startups a better chance at succeeding.

But the climate won’t continue to improve unless apartment landlords in the city are taking ownership of the basic obligations they have to their tenants. Their residents aren’t looking for granite countertops or walk-in closets. They just want a safe place to live.

This isn’t the Washington some people remember from a couple of decades ago. A lot of good things are happening in town.

Landlords need to be a part of that process.