City files lawsuit against Columbus man who owns neglected Carnegie Library

COSHOCTON − The City of Coshocton has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the former Carnegie Library building for allowing it to decay into hazardous condition and being an eyesore on the city landscape.

The suit was filed Feb. 22 in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court by City Law Director Bob Skelton against William Deadman of Columbus. It seeks to have 213 N. Fourth St. declared a public nuisance as defined in the Ohio Revised Code.

Doing so would it would allow the city to repair the building or raze it with Deadman being charged for the cost. The suit also seeks to hold Deadman accountable for not registering the building as vacant with the city per local ordinance passed in 2018 and to pay associated fees. The Tribune was unable to locate Deadman for comment.

Skelton estimates this to be more than $20,000. He said this portion of the suit could allow him to foreclose on the property if the fees aren't paid. Mayor Mark Mills has previously said he would like to see an organization like Our Town Coshocton take ownership and turn it into a museum focused on local history.

"The city has attempted for years to have the defendant acknowledge the property's deficiencies and bring the property in compliance with city codes and to cure the nuisances," the suit reads. "Plaintiff has served the defendant several notices, charges for violating city code, ordinances and resolutions declaring the defendant's property to be a nuisance, dangerous, hazardous and insecure and order the conditions to be abated. Defendant has failed to abate said nuisance."

Skelton said if immediate action isn't taken he will most likely file similar suits against Deadman and other members of his family who own other vacant properties within the city.

According to the deed attached to the lawsuit, Deadman bought the Carnegie Library property in 1980 for $30,700. The city sold the property at the time as it was determined renovating the structure to be a new city hall wasn't financially feasible.

The suit states Deadman had the property inspected in 2020 with periodic inspections since then to determine city code violations related to maintenance and upkeep. There has been limited corrective action and no plan put forth for correction of violations, the suit said.

Deadman was convicted of failure to register and pay building fees, minor misdemeanors, in July 2023 in Coshocton Municipal Court. He paid the $150 fines, but has taken no corrective action on identified issues.

"Defendant has had ample time to correct any and all deficiencies, but has failed to take the steps necessary, if any at all, to bring the property into compliance," the suit states. "The condition of the property is a menace to the public health and welfare, is unsanitary, is otherwise no longer fit and habitable and in relation to its existing use, constitutes a hazard to the public health, welfare or safety by reason of inadequate maintenance and dilapidation."

The building was the 1,000th library funded by Andrew Carnegie, a businessman and philanthropist from Pittsburgh. A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems. This included 1,689 in the U.S. with others around the world.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: City pursuing lawsuit against Carnegie Library property owner