Bessemer condemns 304 E. Lead St.

BESSEMER – The Bessemer City Council voted to condemn the property at 304 E. Lead St. during a special meeting Thursday morning. The meeting was called after officials learned information that contradicted what the property owner had told the council at its regular meeting on Monday.  Clifford Chetnick, owner of the house, said he was not planning on selling the property when asked by council woman Linda Nelson during Monday’s meeting. However, Tuesday morning, councilman Lou Miskovich was informed by a resident that the property was indeed listed for sale online.  The ad has since been taken down, according to city manager Charly Loper, but she has screenshots of the ad before it was taken down.  The property’s foundation is collapsing, and the city is worried that it could collapse onto a neighboring structure. The house also has multiple broken windows, some of which are boarded up.  Loper said the city had two choices, they could either condemn the property, which can be reversed after the issues with the property have been rectified or start fining Chetnick $100 per day per violation. Miskovich was initially in favor of issuing the fines, while Nelson thought the fines were too high and that it would be better to condemn it.  Ultimately, the council members voted 3-0 to condemn the property.