Aging homes raise safety concerns in St. Joseph neighborhoods
Praji Ghosh
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Safety concerns are growing in parts of St. Joseph — especially in older buildings and neighborhoods.
Many of these worries stem from aging electrical systems or outdated wiring, which can easily overheat or spark a fire and cause damage to the residents and structures.
City Planning Director Nathan Pare said the first step is simply connecting with the owners of those properties.
“Some of them are very excited about that, and some of them we are working with on a daily basis and others have no desire or motivation to do anything about this,” Pare said.
Pare said money is often the biggest challenge. Many of these older buildings need a fair amount of investment before renovation can even begin.
To help, the City has ARPA funds available for different projects, and property owners can apply for those to get some financial assistance.
“I know the Chamber of Commerce is very good at working with them on some tax incentives on the other side and they have some tax forgiveness type of things available,” Pare said.
Meanwhile, fire safety remains a major concern in these aging buildings. The City’s Plan Review Coordinator, Dale Reuter, said education is key.
He said the City needs to do a better job of educating residents — helping them understand how to properly maintain their homes and prevent the kinds of issues that can lead to fires.
“Too many electrical cords and things of that nature overloading your system, or you may have an older system in your house that needs to be looked at to upgrade,” Reuter said.
Reuter said when the City gets a report about a fire hazard, there’s a formal process to inspect the property and notify the owner about what needs to be fixed.
According to Reuter, inspections are taken seriously — especially for buildings under renovation.
“We go through and we try to do the inspections and pull permits that they’re supposed to and follow by the rules so the houses are built in a safer way and are up to the codes,” Reuter said.
Fire Inspector Loren Crum said older buildings are more likely to catch fire because, over time, their materials start to wear down, making them more vulnerable to fire hazards.
“Make sure you’re not using extension cords to run your appliances, plug items directly into an outlet or put stuff underneath the rugs and behind the couches to keep things as safe as possible,” Crum said.