Building deteriorating on Oakland’s Main Street

The condition of the Alpha Land Surveying on Main Street in Oakland, NE is deteriorating. “It has been getting worse for the past seven years,” stated Kathy Sonnenfelt, owner of Nifty Thrifty in Oakland, NE. Nifty Thrifty is right next to Alpha Land Surveying, to the south.

The condition

All pictures are the back of Alpha Land Surveying in Oakland. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Kat Country Hub

of the building has gotten worse over the years. “The roof is collapsing, landing on the floor inside of the building. The gutters aren’t up and when it rains, the rain seeps into our store,” Kathy said.

She has made contact with the owner of the building, Fred Franklin, who had his business there previously. “He hasn’t worked there in a long time. When I bring up the situation, he doesn’t do anything about it,” Kathy stated.

There are other issues Kathy is very concerned about. “Over the last couple of months, his building is pulling bricks out of my building,” Kathy said. That isn’t all.

“There are beehives to the north side. They seem to be congregating. The hive is about six feet long, a foot wide and three inches thick. I would advise people not to get out of their vehicles in back of the building,” Kathy stated. “There are also birds, cats and other critters that go in and out of the building.”

The imminent threat was a fire as the gas was still on to the building. “The gas company came and shut the gas off, taking the meter too.” Kathy said. “The windows have been open for a long time and the air conditioner is always running. On the roof, there is an extension cord laying in water that is plugged in to an outlet.”

Kathy has issued a written complaint to the Oakland City Council. “This could take time as they have a process to go through to get anything done,” Kathy stated.

When Fred Franklin was contacted to comment on his building and his intentions toward resolving the situation, he had this to say: “I have been dealing with my insurance company for the last five months. I finally got a check. I have hired a contractor out of Scribner to take care of the situation.”

Watch for updates on the situation in Kat Country Hub.