Story Hill Gardens completes board-up

April 27, 2005 -- The missing windows at the Story Hill Gardens building have been boarded up in compliance with an order issued last month by the Department of Neighborhood Services, records show.

Eleven building code violations at the building, 5033 W. Bluemound Rd., remain unabated, according to the DNS records. DNS orders outstanding direct that missing glass be replaced and broken or missing stucco be repaired or replaced.

The Story Hill Gardens business is in state court receivership due to financial difficulties.

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Story Hill Gardens cited for building code violations

By Sunday morning, boards were placed over just parts of spaces once occupied by windows.

The board-up at Story Hill Gardens.

Department of Neighborhood Services spokesman Todd Weiler said last week that the city would board the building early this week if the owner did not properly do so. If the city boards it, the cost will be added to the owner’s property tax bill, Weiler said.

The owner of the property is Story Hill Gardens, LLC.

Part of the roof – which is made up of paneled glass or plastic – is missing, which would make boarding the building a challenge.

Weiler said it would probably be a first for DNS.

“I don’t recall us boarding up a greenhouse before,” he said.

The city is most concerned with preventing entry to the building at 5033 W. Bluemound Rd., and so may just require a first floor board-up, Weiler said.

The fence provides easy access to the building through the missing roof area.

DNS ordered the owner of the building to remove a broken window pane, replace defective siding, restore a wall to a watertight condition; replace or repair the glass that was removed from the building; and repair or replace defective or missing stucco.

Failure to correct the conditions could lead to increasing re-inspection fees every 30 days, starting at $50, then rising to $75 and $150 before topping out at $300 each subsequent month, Weiler said.

The Story Hill Gardens business is in state court receivership due to financial difficulties.

Ald. Michael Murphy said in a letter to neighborhood residents that the receiver for the business expects U.S. Bank to foreclose on the property next month. Murphy said he has asked DNS to monitor the property to ensure it does not fall into further disrepair.