The Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society is presenting its annual awards on October 10th. I was a very active member of the society 20 years ago, and am dismayed at its inability to maintain the Bedon-Lucas House (overgrown vegetation on either side of the property; exterior and window issues).
The society is presenting four awards—one to a historic house on Wichman Street. I have filed code complaints about this house for the past eight years--as the long-term owner of the property had neglected it to the point where the rafters along one side of the house had to be replaced. For those of us who have lived in Walterboro for a long time—the house is best known as the home of an esteemed physician and his sisters—who also owned what was commonly called “The Brick Store,” aptly named as it was the first brick building on Washington (“Main”) Street (now the site of the city parking lot).
The current owners bought it after it was renovated, but the investment group that actually did the construction work had failed to replace the rotten roof and siding on the 42 ft. long garage behind the house. Both of the current owners joined city commissions soon after they purchased the house and moved to Walterboro—where they can vote to determine what other residents can and cannot do with their properties. The Walterboro Unified Development Ordinance Section 10.5.3 N. requires that members of the Historic Preservation Commission (one owner is the commission chair) identify and report to City Staff any observations of benign neglect of “Buildings and Structures in Historic Districts.” Has this owner reported it? Has the city made this commission member repair his own building? Should a member of a city commission be allowed to violate this ordinance—as well as the International Property Maintenance Code--while voting to determine what other residents can/cannot do with their properties? I vote “NO”! No member of ANY city commission should be in violation of a city ordinance.
Carol Black
Alexandria, VA and Walterboro, SC
