Condemned buildings sold at auction

By LISA SIMPSON STRANGE
Glasgow Daily Times

GLASGOW June 22, 2009 12:18 pm

— Three buildings on the south side of Glasgow’s public square have a new owner.
Gary Carroll, who owns and operates Hall Place on South Green Street, bought the three properties at 100, 102 and 110 South Public Square during an absolute auction Saturday morning for $2,000.
After almost an hour of auctioneering by Mark D. Thompson of Bailey & Grissom Realtors, Auctioneers, the historic, but dilapidated, buildings were finally sold. Thompson initially tried selling the properties one at a time, but when he couldn’t raise any bids, he began the process of auctioning off all three together.
The small crowd gathered for the auction dwindled between 10 and 11 a.m. as the temperature and sun rose higher. The few people who offered bids did so sporadically through the hour it took to receive the final $2,000 bid.
The buildings had been owned for many years by RCNH LTD. Partnership, Benjamin and Pandora Harper, and once contained a jewelry store, pool hall and lunch counter, but had been sitting unoccupied and empty for many years.
Code Enforcement Officer Larry Baldock and the Glasgow Fire Department finally condemned the properties earlier this year after working with the Harpers over an extended period of time to try to bring the buildings up to code.
The electricity was turned off to the buildings in 2007 after part of the back exterior wall fell in, according to Baldock.
“We had tried for years back,” Baldock said. “I sent him the letter it was being condemned on Feb. 17,” he said.
The Harpers were cited on Aug. 18, 2008, for code violations and fines began being assessed on Nov. 3, but Baldock said two or three years ago the state and the fire department had tried to inspect the buildings, but were not allowed access by the owners.
The Harpers had no comment Saturday.
Carroll, the new owner, said he will use the locations as incubators for new downtown businesses. He said the non-profit venture for him will hopefully allow two or three businesses to open on the square after the buildings have been renovated. He said he doesn’t want another business for himself, but wants to give others the opportunity to bring more stores to the square.
Carroll received training through the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaching Institute, which he will utilize for this project, he said.
“I’ll do the best I can with them,” he said.

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