Abandoned homes increasing in Monongah, Marion County

Abandoned homes and businesses are becoming a bigger and bigger problem in Monongah, Mannington and the rest of Marion County.

Monongah Mayor Greg Vandetta is conferring with the town’s code enforcement officer about what to do when people don't comply after a letter is sent to them about property maintenance violations.

 

With less than half the state’s civilian population having a job and coal mining being hammered toward extinction by dwindling use of coal and regulations, finding the property owners is a problem because they just up and leave to look for better prospects elsewhere.

You can buy a home in Monongah listed at $24,900, which is less than one-fourth the state’s mean price for homes. There’s one listed in Mannington for $19,900.

At 17.6%, West Virginia has the highest percentage of working-age people on disability benefits, far above the national average of 10.4%, which probably is a reflection, in part, on working in the coal mines, one of the most dangerous jobs in America for a century.

 

Plus a lifestyle that puts West Virginians near the top nationally in obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

At 41.9, West Virginia has the fourth-highest median age, because the younger residents are seeking employment and a better life elsewhere.

When Paula and I drove through East Monongah when we came to Marion County for the 2015 Monongah High Alumni Reunion, we saw abandoned businesses nearly all the way from the Monongah Fire Department to Ann DeMary Eates and Joe Eates' house on Bridge Street.

Monongah is not alone.

The 1868 Bowers Mansion in Mannington is owned by those who live in another state. That makes it difficult to contact them, or even if the town does, to get them to do something about their property. They just walk away from the problem.

Mannington Mayor Jim Taylor said “We have about a dozen or more properties in the city where the owners have abandoned their houses.”

That leads to tall grass in yards and shabby outside walls. And dangerous use of the inside by ne'er-do-wells.

Taylor said it’s tough to notify an owner who doesn’t live in the state any more.

Monongah residents have complained about the abandoned properties, through Facebook and directly to the Mayor’s Office. But it’s not an easy solution for towns strapped for cash anyway.