NORTH BEND — When North Bend Police officers entered an unoccupied house near the North Bend Fire Department in a criminal mischief investigation last month, they discovered standing water, overflowing buckets, weeds and rat feces.

Now, the North Bend City Council is considering posting the house as dangerous.

The extensive water damage, spongy floors, and other damage found in the house, located at 1804 McPherson Ave., could be a hazard, said North Bend building official Steve Werst at a City Council meeting Tuesday. And while he was aware of the house’s poor condition more than a year ago, the extent of that damage did not become clear until the Jan. 4 police call.

Since late 2006, city staff has been in discussion with owner of the house about its severely damaged roof and wild yard, which presents a potential fire hazard. During those early talks, owner Barbara Head, 64, of Grants Pass, indicated she was reluctant to do repairs beyond cleaning up the yard, because her daughter and son-in-law were interested in developing the property and demolishing the house. Beginning Dec. 4, 2006, Werst said he essentially played phone tag with Head, who eventually requested he speak with her attorney, Walter Cauble of Cauble, Dole, Sorenson & Ransom, Attorneys At Law in Grants Pass.

But the nature of the situation changed when North Bend Police officers received a report from an employee of a nearby business that a door was open at the vacant house.  

According to a North Bend Police Department incident report, the two officers who entered the house saw that glass on the front door had been broken and the door was partially open and unsecured. Further, they found “that the entire living room floor was covered in water. There were multiple water buckets that were completely full and overflowing onto the floor, and ceiling panels were decayed and had fallen onto the floor,” Officer Jason Griggs wrote in the report.

Griggs wrote vegetation had grown through the living room floor, window and power outlets and there were many garbage bags stacked in the corner. Each room on the two floors were in similar condition.

“There was extensive mold throughout the residence on the floors, walls and ceilings, and rodent feces was evident throughout the house,” Griggs wrote.

Following the investigation, Griggs notified Werst and City Administrator Jan Willis of the building’s condition and safety concerns he had with the structure.  Also on Jan. 4, Werst posted a “Do Not Enter — Unsafe to Occupy” sign on the house, and Willis left a phone message for Head requesting her immediate attention to the problem.  

Werst, who said he also was concerned about a leaning retaining wall on the property, told the council he followed up on the situation several times, but found it difficult to get the owner to comply with his requests.

“(I’m) concerned it could give out and cause someone severe injury,” Werst said of the retaining wall.

 On Jan. 7, Werst talked to Leon Willoughby, Head’s representative, and discussed the issue and the owner’s intentions for the property. Willoughby said Head is either going to sell the property or develop it. The North Bend building official said he asked Willoughby to have the owner contact his office in writing by Jan. 18, and if she didn’t, he would send a compliance letter requiring action on her part by Feb. 4. On the 18th, Werst received a short e-mail from Head stating only that the house had been secured. On Jan. 22, Werst called Willoughby again and told him that a second letter would be written to Head to inform her that the matter would go before the City Council for determination. Willoughby asked him for more time and said Head was talking with a potential buyer.

Head did request a delay on the matter, asking that any decisions about the property be made after March 23, said City Attorney Mike Stebbins. He advised the council that it could schedule a hearing after that date.

The councilors agreed to review the issue again on March 25.

On Wednesday, Werst said the home could be deemed dangerous, much like the house on 2505 Sheridan Ave. in North Bend, because it could create problems for people living nearby. In this case, the poor condition of the property “creates a home for rodents, and it creates problems for the neighbors,” Werst said, adding he also is worried about the retaining wall on the property. He noted that the yard isn’t a fire hazard during the rainy season, “but this summer it will be if it’s not addressed.”

Despite numerous requests, Werst said he also has never received a letter stating Head’s official intentions for the property, whether that will be to sell, fix or demolish the house.