Mudslide Condos torn down

Of interest to people from Seattle, demolition on the three leaning condominiums was finally started today after seven years of legal wrangling... They were previously valued at about $1 Mil. each but were severely damaged in a 1997 mudslide. The owners feel the the City of Seattle was responsible - having cleared the engineering drawings for the buildings as well as being responsible for the maintenance of storm drains and water runoffs. To quote an article from KOMO-TV's website here bq. Ever since a mudslide damaged them 7 years ago, the condo owners have been in limbo with the city. But finally this week, the city condemned the condos and the owners wasted little time in bringing out the wrecking crew. bq. Before the 1997 mudslide, the properties were worth about $1 million each. Once the condos are cleared, the land will likely only be worth $250,000 for each parcel. bq. It's a financial fiasco to go along with shattered plans. bq. "We planned to retire here someday," said condo owner Penny Fukui. "We worked hard, we saved our money and bought this home brand new, and intended to live here for the rest of our lives." bq. For the last seven years, the owners have been paying the mortgages and property taxes on the condo. Penny's been living in an apartment and another condo owner, Bob Ferguson, has been bouncing around before finally buying a house a short time ago. bq. And to top it off, the three owners have to shoulder the cost of the demolition -- $55,000 total. So split three ways means a little over $18,000 a piece. Not a good day for these poor people...