Oshkosh demolishing blighted homes

OSHKOSH - Home foreclosures are a nationwide problem, leaving abandoned homes targets for illegal activities.

Now Wisconsin is addressing the problem. The state is tearing down some houses as part of a new program.

One such home on Parkway Avenue in Oshkosh came down Monday morning.

"It was just an eyesore," said Rachelle Racette who lives across the street from the abandoned home.

Racette and others watched in awe of the demolition.

• Photos: Oshkosh demolishing homes

"You look out your window and it's just this old abandoned house that's just deteriorating," she said of the former home.

Abandoned for five years, the house had become an issue for neighbors.

"This is a pretty exciting day for us...but this is just a start," said Peter Bildsten, Secretary of Wisconsin's Department of Financial Institutions, of a $1.1 million neighborhood rehab program.

"To help start to take down vacant, abandoned and distressed properties like this across the state," he said.

One home has already been demolished and two more are scheduled to come down. Neighbors and city leaders say demolition like this creates opportunities for transformation.

"Taking down a piece of property like this is going to increase the values of the neighboring homes and encourage people to relocate to an older section of town that has a lot of nice homes," said Steve Cummings, Deputy Mayor of Oshkosh.

According to Bildsten, each abandoned home decreases the property value of neighboring homes by $7,000.

"By eliminating this, the reverse happens, property values go up and an abandoned, vacant house goes away," said Bildsten.

Oshkosh received $60,000 to take down homes under the program. Bildsten said 15 other communities in the state also received funding.

"Our whole goal is to help maintain the equity our citizens have in their properties."

And the demolition can be music to a homeowners ears.

Bildsten said Oconto County was the only other place in our area to receive funding. He said the County divided its portion of the funds among several different municipalities.