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John Oxian, President August 14, 2000 South Bend and St. Joseph County HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION 227 WEST JEFFERSON BLVD, RM 1123 SOUTH BEND, IN 46601-1830 Marilyn Proctor 200 Sycamore Creek Drive Springboro, Ohio 45066 Dear Ms. Proctor: Phone: 219-235-9799 Fax: 219-235-9578 e-mail: historic@michiana.org A Certified Local Government J. Edward Talley, Executive Director There seems to be some confusion regarding the landmark status of Vera Yeager's properties at 127 and 129 Franklin Place and 407 W. Jefferson in South Bend, Indiana. A minimum maintenance letter regard- ing these properties was sent to you on July 18, 2000 regarding our concerns over deterioration occurring at 127 Franklin Place. Your property manager, Frank Pocza, responded to the letter through a phone called re- ceived last week. During my conversation with Mr. Pocza I discovered that you may have some questions re- garding our agency and your properties. When a property is designated a local landmark it falls under the jurisdiction of the Historic Preserva- tion Commission. This simply means that anyihing done to the exterior of the house, grounds and outbuild- ings must be approved by the Commission, just like a building permit. The Commission also has power simi- lar to Code Enforcement in that if a house shows signs of deterioration they have a right to require that the home owner address the problems. The letter sent to you was not requesting such action, it was simply inquir- ing whether or not the problems afflicting the house on Franklin were going to be addressed in the near future. I discussed these issues with Mr. Pocza and he agreed to send us his five year plan for rehabilitation of the various properties. We simply needed to know that the areas of decay were going to be addressed and not left to deteriorate until the house was a public hazard. The only time we take action in cases of like this is if the owner has blatantly let the house fall apart so badly that Code Enforcement starts to threaten the owner with a demolition order. Saving The History Of South Bend & St. Joseph County By Protecting The Irreplaceable COMMISSIONERS Martha Choitz Richard Helmus Jerry Weiner (Treasurer) Mary Jane Chase Catherine Hostetler (Vice -President) Gerald Ujdak (secretary) vacant Joann Sporleder (Historic Architect), Cheryl Greene(Attomey)