VERONA, Wis. — Neighbors of a moldy and abandoned Verona house said it’s time crews demolish it, but legal issues between the owners and the foreclosing bank won’t make it an easy process.The city has issued a “repair or raze” order to the owners of the house in the 600 block of Fairview Terrace, in the Hawthorne Hills neighborhood.Problems at the house began in 2007, when a child died as a result of injuries suffered at the home. One of the homeowners, Jennifer Hancock, had been operating a daycare facility there, and was sentenced in 2009 to 13 years in prison for her role in the child’s death.Foreclosure proceedings began soon after, and her husband, Brian Hancock, left the home.The problems for the structure didn’t end there. The pipes burst in the 5-year-old home last winter, flooding the building with 350,000 gallons of water and destroying the floors and ceilings. The house has since sat vacant and moldy, as neighbors worry about falling property values and health concerns as a result.”Obviously as a parent, you don’t want any problems with your children,” said Patrick Sheedy, who lives near the abandoned house. “I hope they (tear it down) the professional way and just not the easy way out to save some money financially. In the long run, my kids health is more important than anything.”Demolishing the house may take time, as the Hancocks and Bank of America are still going through the foreclosure process. Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America said the Hancocks still own the home.”When a property is in the foreclosure process but has not yet reverted to the investor through a foreclosure sale, the property owner remains the party with responsibility for maintenance,” Bank of America said in a statement. “We have received a copy of the request sent to the homeowner from the city [Friday] and will research and address the situation to the extent we have the authority to do so.”A decision on whether to repair or raze the home should come within a month, city building inspector Brian Flannery said.”We would fully expect Bank of America to take an interest in this,” he said. “We all want something to happen here. It’s sad, what happened to that home.”

A nearby neighbor looking to sell his home said he hasn’t had a single offer in months. Although there’s no way to be sure that’s because of the moldy and abandoned property nearby, it’s a good bet, said the neighbor, who asked not to be identified.For now, Sheedy is making the best of the situation. He’s created a small baseball field in the backyard of the abandoned property, and about a dozen neighborhood kids play on it regularly.”There’s been a lot of negativity back here with the house and what took place,” he said, standing at home plate. “The kids are coming back and playing, they love it, they sit and have popsicles on the deck, and we love it. It’s coming back to that utopia.”