When the Washington state Department of Transportation started acquiring houses it must demolish for the North Spokane Corridor project, it didnt expect to spend so much time screwing windows and doors shut and fixing fences broken by trespassers.


Melinda Ziemann, property management supervisor for DOTs Eastern Region, says that while the department hires contractors to help it deal with some of the headaches associated with managing the ultimately 500 or so vacant houses it will own during the project, its staff members frequently are called to evict vagrants who break into the houses.


One of the homes we went into, actually there were people living in the home, without running water or electricity, Ziemann says. She says sometimes the DOT staff can handle such issues, posting signs and letting people know they are trespassing.


We politely and gently make sure they leave the premises, she says. Usually, the staff calls the Spokane Police Department to ensure houses that have been broken into are safe and empty before they set to work fortifying them.


Currently, the DOT owns 53 houses in an area between Hamilton and Freya north of Interstate 90, mostly along Second Avenue and on some side streets there. A dozen of those houses are being demolished or moved by Larsons Demolition, of Spokane, under a $100,000 contract. It will seek bids for demolition of about 20 more houses this month and plans to sell some others that are eligible for a historic preservation program at auction, she says. It has bought about 90 houses so far.


When DOT buys properties, it sometimes rents the homes back to the previous owners until it can help them find alternative housing, but Ziemann says the department doesnt rent out the houses long-term, like it sometimes does with commercial properties.


Theres a lot of liability and expense in maintaining homes, and many of them arent safe. We do sometimes lease out commercial properties if it will be a long time before we have money for a project, she says.


The DOT expects to buy more than 100 commercial properties for the project.


While the vacant houses are in DOTs inventory, keeping them safe from vandalism, theft, and squatters to preserve their potential value and to keep the cost of demolition down is an ongoing challenge, Ziemann says. Once the houses are demolished, preventing and cleaning up illegal dumping is an issue, she says.


The challenges come with the volume of homes were purchasing. People know that theyre vacant, Ziemann says.


She says the department relies on police to help it keep vandals, thieves, and vagrants out of the vacant houses.


They will break windows and doors to get in, Ziemann says. Sometimes they live in it, and sometimes theyre looking for a restroom.


Other times a house is badly damaged by vandals or by individuals who break in and steal copper pipes and other building materials, Ziemann says.


Vandalism at the vacant properties ultimately results in higher demolition costs, Ziemann says. Companies that bid for the contracts often consider whether some of the houses are in good enough condition to be sold and moved rather than torn down, and lower their net bids accordingly, she says. Also, demolition contractors often reduce their bids if there are building materials that can be salvaged. Once a contract is awarded, the company can either demolish the homes or move them off the lots and sell them.


Once they have the contract, the homes belong to them, Ziemann says.


She says the DOT contracts with landscaping companies to keep the grass mowed and the weeds clipped, at a cost of between $50 and $70 per lot each year, which is paid for out of money set aside for property acquisition. She says keeping vacant lots looking decent is a challenge, and that the department is working on a plan to plant a slow growing, hardy grass mix on those properties this fall in hopes of reducing maintenance costs next year.


Ziemann says in addition to regular inspections, the department posts signs to discourage vandalism and illegal dumping and hires contractors to clean up properties when necessary.


The North Spokane Corridor ultimately will stretch 10.2 miles between Interstate 90, near the Thor-Freya exit, and U.S. 395, near Wandermere Golf Course. The overall project is expected to take 20 years to build.


Ziemann says the challenges associated with real estate acquisitions along the route likely will last for as long as it takes to complete the North Spokane Corridor.


We have hundreds and hundreds of houses to buy, Ziemann says.


Contact Jeanne Gustafson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at jeanneg@spokanejournal.com.