19 Troubleshooters get results on eyesore in Hough Neighborhood

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A street once covered with building debris is now clear and safe to drive through again.

It comes one month after we reported on an abandoned building in Cleveland’s Hough Neighborhood, falling apart and littering the street.

It’s a step in the right direction and one man is crediting the 19 Troubleshooters.

“Apparently your story caught someone’s attention,” said Walter, a Hough Neighborhood resident.

Less than a week after our 19 Troubleshooter story aired about a vacant building on Hough Avenue and the debris it’s shedding, Walter noticed a change.

“I came by here, and I saw that they had come by and did a little bit of a cleanup,” said Walter. “The sidewalk and the street, and somewhat of the front yard of the building had been cleaned up.”

That means no more building parts covering the sidewalk and grass, or trash.

It’s a small victory, but one that makes a big difference for residents like Walter.

“It’s less of an eyesore, and people driving by here, it makes them feel better,” said Walter. “It makes the residents of the area feel better and people in general, when they see something like this taking place, they want to spruce up their own property.”

The next step in this major revitalization effort: knock down the shell of a building.

At last check, developers told 19 News it’s still in the planning phase and needs more funding before construction can begin.

However, with this latest cleanup, Walter has a newfound hope this property can become a turning point for the Hough neighborhood and a major source of revival and revitalization.

19 News did some digging to find out who exactly is responsible for the cleanup.

The city of Cleveland told reporter Katie Wilson it was not them, and very well could have been the owner.

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