Crews have started demolishing a house in Washington. Yesterday morning, crews began tearing down the house at 415 West Madison Street. The house had been shut down in March due to unsafe levels of methamphetamine residues after a search warrant was executed.

According to Police Chief Greg Goodman, the property owner did not respond to requests to abate the safety issues and the city has the authority to tear down the structure. The owner will owe the city for demolition costs, which can be assessed back to taxes. Goodman says that contaminated buildings are not safe for the community and have to be taken care of. Crews are also working on demolishing the building at 322 North Avenue D this week.