Thomas Godward, 73, of 1877 Oles Ave., has made him home there since 1979 and for the last nine years a dilapidated apartment building on his street has been a cause of concern for him.
      Godward appeared at a meeting of Boardman Township Trustees last week wondering if the structure, that has been declared a nuisance, will ever be torn down. He acknowledged the owner of the building has medical issues, however not when the building began to fall into a state of disrepair almost a decade ago.
      “We are aware that she has medical issues, but they were not in play when this on-going saga started. She ignored zoning infractions, the fines and outright refused to make repairs on that building,” Godward said, referring to Dorothea Wydick, of Canfield.
      Godward noted the property has been transferred from Wydick’s name to a firm related to her by the name of First National Investments Inc. and the site is now up for sale.
      “I cannot feel that any reputable company that would do their due diligence would have the ability to bring that structure up to code.
      “The residents of Oles Ave. don’t want some company putting an address on a pig sty and telling us how pretty it its,” Godward said, noting residents of the neighborhood want the structure torn down.
      He added “Nobody seems to care about the residents...They are more concerned about a non-resident and her disrespect for our neighborhood and wanting to maximize her assets.”
      Wydick reportedly has health issues, including dementia, and is unable to make decisions regarding the Oles Ave., site.
      Counsel for the guardian of her estate is Boardman Trustee Matt Gambrel.
      Gambrel told Godward the property has been taken over by First National Investments, owned by Wydick.
      “Part of their business is getting guard- ianships over people who have lost their faculties,” Gambrel said, noting “We’ve actually had quite of few people lined up trying to buy the property.
      “And, there are restrictions in place...Renovations have to be approved by the (Boardman) Fire Department and if they are not, they’re gonna have to tear it down.”
      Fire Chief Mark Pitzer noted if the property is purchased, “there’s a timeline on things,” and a buyer would have six months to bring the site up to code, or tear it down.
      Steve Yacovone, chairman of the Board of Trustees, told Godward “What cannot be allowed to happen is if someone buys that property and still maintains that horrible eyesore that you’re looking at every day.”
      Yacovone said if a buyer doesn’t meet the conditions of restoration, they will be forced to do a demolition.
      In June, 2024 residents of Oles Ave. attended a meeting of township trustees about issues with the 6-plex apartment building at 1893 Oles Ave. owned by Wydick and that had fallen into a state of disrepair.
      It was noted on June 13, 2024 an inspection completed by Fire Prevention Officer James Yocum, concluded “We have been out to this property numerous times since Sept. 2021. The building owner has not responded to anything we have sent...This property is in poor condition with numerous violations and safety concerns.
      “There are also health concerns due to no running water and animal feces and mold in this structure. Firefighter safety concerns in the event of a structure fire, numerous penetrations throughout the structure, open windows and debris which will assist in fast fire spread.”
      Also speaking about the property was the late Boardman Fire Department Fire Prevention Officer Lt. Tom Donadee.
      He noted “If the landlord cannot make corrections, “the structure will be taken down, or possibly sold at a sheriff’s sale.”
      Oles Ave. residents also expressed concern two years ago about another site on that street right next to 1893 Oles Ave. that had been owned by Wydick, at 1897 Oles Ave.
      Lt. Donadee noted in 2024 that building, a 6-plex, “appeared to be abandoned by the property owner,” and suggested if corrections are not made it would also have to be torn down, or sold at a sheriff’s sale.”