LAWTON – Invoices totaling $40,470 for demolition of three dilapidated properties were paid recently by the Lawton City Council, which also put another house on the D&D list and tabled a decision on another to the next council meeting.
Structures at 5333 NW Elm were inspected by city personnel and deemed to be dilapidated and dangerous. The structures are “in an obvious state of neglect and disrepair such that they are detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of the general public and a blighting influence” on the community, Neighborhood Services Supervisor Jonathan Jernigan wrote.
The structure has “some rubbish and garbage accumulation, is not habitable” and its water account was deactivated March 8, 2025, Jernigan reported.
A public hearing on the property was held April 14 but was tabled to May 12 to allow mortgage companies in Michigan and Missouri “additional time to get someone in place to properly address” issues with the property. At the May 12 council meeting the condemnation motion was tabled to June 9 “to allow the property owner time to file an insurance claim,” Jernigan related. On June 9 the proposal was tabled once again, to Aug. 11, “so that the property owner could finalize his insurance claim” for fire damage.
The City Council was told Tuesday night that a demolition permit was filed with City Hall earlier that day, but the council voted to put the property on the demolition list anyway to ensure that they are indeed torn down.
Structures at 2410 SW G Ave. were declared dilapidated on April 23, 2024, and a remodeling permit on the site expired May 4, 2025, records reflect. The last inspection occurred on April 9, 2025, for temporary electricity, Jernigan said. The council voted to table the demolition application to their next meeting after hearing that the property has been sold to a new owner.
In a related matter, the council approved payment of $40,470 for “the actual costs of dismantling and removing dilapidated buildings” at 2809 SW J Ave., 809 SW H Ave., and 410 NW Woodridge Drive.
Those expenses included demolition contracts, landfill tipping fees, capping the water and sewer connections, legal notices, and county lien filing fees.
___
Mike W. Ray is a fifthgeneration, award- winning journalist who has more than 55 years’ experience covering municipal, county, state and federal government in Oklahoma and Texas. He can be reached at mike.ray@swoknews.com.