MEDINA — City Council on Monday authorized the creation of a fund for property maintenance projects to address unkempt foreclosed and abandoned properties.

Council allocated $10,000 for the fund. Mayor Dennis Hanwell earlier won the Finance Committee’s approval for the fund after showcasing two abandoned properties the city had to clean up, spending about $2,250 on each. Costs included boarding up one home, mowing grass and removing garbage.

“We need to adopt it and apply money toward it to fix those properties that have deteriorated to the point where it would hurt the neighborhood … surrounding those properties,” At-large Councilman John Coyne said Monday.

The city boarded up the single-family home at 540 S. Court St. last month after it was abandoned by the owner. Hanwell said the city was able to board up the house because the building inspector listed it as “uninhabitable.”

Pictures of the South Court house show an interior strewn with broken furniture, garbage, liquor bottles and debris. A gaping hole in the back porch left a pit leading to the structure’s basement, and the backyard was unkempt.

The property’s owner is listed as Karen Senz on the Medina County Auditor’s Office website, and the property is valued at $119,500.

“It’s a no-win situation,” Hanwell has said of the property, explaining the boards prevent vandalism but create an eyesore in the process.

Another property, a former car repair shop at 901 W. Lafayette Road, has become a possible dumping ground, with items continuing to pile up on the property despite the city’s cleanup efforts.

Hanwell said family members of the man who used to operate the shop have done little with the property, which is not up for sale. Michael Wayne and Vickie McGrew are listed as the owners of the property on the county auditor’s website. It is valued at $251,130.

Possible avenues for the city to recoup the cost of cleaning up abandoned properties include putting a lien on the property, Coyne has said. However, if the properties go through foreclosure and are sold at a sheriff’s auction, the city will not be repaid because the lien will be voided.

Also Monday

– Council approved funds for two projects through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The state program provides funds for residents who qualify for assistance based on income and location within a target area.

“(Funding) has to go through Council if the amount goes over a certain amount,” Sandy Davis, administrative assistant in the Economic Development Department, said. “Anything above $25,000 has to go to Council.”

Medina’s target area encompasses roughly north of West Liberty Street to Harding Street and Longview Road, and between Foundry Street and Spring Grove Street.

A house at 302 W. Friendship St. will receive $43,110 in rehabilitation work by Buckeye Construction Management and one at 121 N. Huntington St. will receive $31,025 worth of work by J.A.C. General Contractors with NSP funding.

A condemned home at 221½ W. Union St. will be demolished with $4,375 of NSP funds by Butcher and Son Inc., subject to city Law Director Greg Huber’s approval.

“Demolition is an acceptable project through NSP funds … if it’s a home in bad shape it would behoove the neighborhood to take it down,” Davis said.

– Council named Coyne as the city’s representative and Tina Cassidy, the recently appointed principal of H.G. Blake Elementary School in Montville Township, as the school representative on the new Joint Economic Development District board.

The 100-year agreement is between the city and Montville Township.

“I think he’s going to be a great representative for the city,” Hanwell said of Coyne. “He understands the JEDD’s rules and guidelines and has been getting the JEDD organized with the city since its inception.”

The JEDD board will consist of representatives from the township, city, a business owner and an employee within the JEDD district who will oversee JEDD issues.

While the agreement outlines which parcels of land fall within the JEDD, businesses can decide whether to participate in the district. Property owned by University Hospitals, though not the UH Urgent Care Center, and the future Summa Health Systems’ 24-hour emergency facility will be part of the JEDD. Two elementary schools — Ralph E. Waite and H.G. Blake — also will fall within the district.

No township property will be annexed to the city under the plan, and the district does not affect residential properties.

Under the JEDD, the city and township equally will split revenue earned from the district. The governing bodies can use revenue for any legal purpose they wish. For an initial period, 20 percent of revenue will be set aside for special improvement projects or needs in the district, such as traffic lights or road improvements.

– Council authorized the mayor to request bids for 2010’s residential drainage projects and allocated $25,000 toward them.

This year the city will work on a sewer on West Smith Road, a yard basin on Guilford Boulevard and a drainage problem on Industrial Parkway.

Each year the city addresses three or four drainage problems, many of which are reported by residents, City Engineer Patrick Patton has said.

Contact Kaitlin Bushinski at (330) 721-4050 or kbushinski@medina-gazette.com.