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Home My WebLink AboutLetter - 5/19/1992 lie ~'... e OJHKOJH City of Oshkosh ON THE WATER M:ly 19, 1992 Depart..nent of Regulation and Licensing 1400 E. Washington Avenue Madisan, WI 53708 Dear MI:". Garrett: Enclosed are docurrents \l\hich you requested from this office. '!he docurrents are divided into four packets, two concerning events that occured at 217 High AvemJ.e containing 13 and 15 pages respecti vel y, one packet concerning events mid1 occured at 359 W. 9th Avenue containing 14 pages and one packet of various newspaper articles concerninq the events at these properties. lhese properties are 0t/lCled and operated by DouglaS and Carole Buettner of 232 Fulton Avenue, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. PAO<ET#1 for 217 High. Avenue begins with a police incident report dated October 23, 1991 \l\hich NlS referred to this office. An inspection following the pol ice conplaint revealed a llUII'ber of Housing Code Violations including one previously ordered corrected on January 29, 1990, Violation #1. Failure to properly correct this violation contriroted to the injury on the premises and the subsequent police incident report. Orders were issued to correct the violations noted on NovenDer 1, 1991. Included in that O:r:der WiS Notice to properly correct the electric service problems, second and final Notices were issued with little conpliance. 1he work that NlS done, NlS done by Mr:-. Buett- ner himself and as you will note in the final Notice dated Decenrer 4, 1991, not done properly. A final inspection Wrlch. had been schedtled to assure conpliance WiS cancelled upon receipt of a handwritten note from Mr. Buettner dated the sane day the inspection NlS to take place, Decenber 9, 1991. lhe violations \lere finally corrected and the hazardous condition created by inadequate electrical service NlS corrected and inspected on January 17, 1992. Note that the electrician naIlEd in Mr. Buettner's [)eceni)er 9, 1991 note and the one that actually did the electrical work are not the sane. 1he correc- tions were not made in an expeditious nanner. PAa<ET #2 for 359 W. 9th Avenue begins with a tenant cooplaint dated January 10, 1992. An inspection on January 13, 1992 revealed 40 violations of the City Housing Code, including failure to install SlIDke detectors in the base- rrent. A Citation WiS issued iIIm9diately for the SIlDke detector violation per awroved proced1re. A second Notice NlS issued after there W:ls no contact from Mr. Buettner. Court action on M:lrch. 4, 1992 found~. Buettner guilty of failure to install and rraintain SIlDke detectors and a fine and court costs of $218.00 w:lS levied. Note the statements from the tenants, one having been notarized, concerning the SlIDke detector installation at this ad:Xess. en April 8, 1992, another Order w:lS issued to Mr:-. Buettner as the new steps that he had himself roil t were not Code Coopliant and in fact dangerous to anyone using them. 1he steps had a tendency to fall over as they were not secured to e-~ M:ly 19, 1992 Page Tw:> Depart..ment of Regulation and Licensing the d...elling or properly stq;:ported on the ground. A basement stairs handrail that Mr. Buettner had also installed WiS ordered repaired to a sound condition as it NlS loose on the Will having been installed with nails. Finally Mr. Buettner had a carpenter, Mike Hoock, help him IIBke the steps secure as well as the handrail on the basenent steps. '!he steps and handrail were finally approved on April 15, 1992. All violations have now been corrected except for exterior painting of the ~lling. PAO<ET #3 for 217 High Avenue begins with a shut~ff Notice issued by Wiscon- sin Public Service of Febzuary 17, 1992. A copy of the tnot~ of the space heater is included. en M:lrch. 11, 1992, this office WiS contacted by the tenant claiming they had no heat in the ~lling. An inspection revealed an average tenperature of 52.7 degrees in the apartrrEnt. '!he Minim.un Housing Code requires at least 67 degrees in all habitable roans, 11 additional viola- tions \lere also noted. Orders ~re issued on Mirch 11, 1992, the living unit WiS posted as ''Urfit" d1e to lack of heat and a Citation WiS requestErl and issued in the aroount of $500.00 plus costs. 'nle tenant gave Ire a written statement that she tried to get the landlord to repair the heating before the ci tat ion NlS issued. A copy of the lease for the tenants has a tnone contact mmber for ~. Buettner. en M:lrch. 23, 1992, I ~ the tenants and Mrs. Carroll indicated to Ire that the heating NlS now adequate. (h M:lrc:h 24, 1992, I received a handwritten note from Mr:-. Buettner claiming heat WiS now being provided. 1he cari:>ination of the gas shut~ff on the faulty ki tch.en space heater and the dirty basenent heating unit with plugged <i1ctwork WiS the d.etennined cause of the lack of heat in the living unit. en April 7, 1992, ~. Buettner's attorney filed for a jury trial on the Gitation issued. (h April 9, 1992 ~. arettner paid $638.00 in fines and court costs. (h M:ly 8, 1992 a reinspection WiS IIBde at the request of Mr. Buettner. He WiS accoopa- nied by Mike Hoock F a carpenter. 1he inspection revealed corrections ~ich \lere 1.m.W)rkmmship like and showed a lack of skill and knowledge required to do the work. 1he kitchen floor covering replacenBlt NlS inadequate in that ~. Buettner had installed new one foot square tiles over the old, lmeven, and danaged floor covering. 1he edges were inproperly finished and would not stop Witer infiltration or food from entering under the tiles. ~. Hoock indicated that he would install a Z\1lX)er floor edging \<bich. would possibly solve the problem. To date I have had no contact that the flooring has been repaired. PACKET #4 includes various newspaper articles concerning the events \ob.ich occured at 217 High Avenue and 359 W. 9th Averme for \l\hich. Orders and Cita- tions \lere issued. p.... M:ly 19, 1992 Page 'Ibree Depar1:nEnt of Regulation and Licensing I Bruce Luedtke, Housing Inspector for the City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the attached do<:::t.me1ts are part of the penranent record file located in Room 205, City Hall, Oshkosh, Wisconsin and that all stat€!lEnt concerning the properties noted are t.nl.e and correct. ! . ~lY. ~~(. Housing or City of Oshkosh /AA' J " , / / V. . 1-414-236-5137 Subscribed and sworn to before thi s / 9 t.i ~ay of " lj?a.~'i. 1992. 7 )1 CC41 ,J': I? o-dlJ,t"r,l' l' Notary7Public, Winnebago County, Wisconsin My Commission Expires: )iL)u-~/99;L /}