They can be found across the county, from the vacant coal camp houses in Omar to burned-out buildings and abandoned trailers in other areas.

For years, the Logan County Commission, as well as councils across the county, have been faced with the problem of the ramshackle structures, and on Monday the county took the first major step toward doing something about all of them.

The first reading of a new ordinance taking aim at dilapidated and abandoned buildings was held at a meeting of the Logan County Commission on Monday.

Prior to the regular meeting, commissioners Art Kirkendoll, Danny Godby and Willie Akers met with representatives of Man, Logan, Chapmanville and Mitchell Heights about the proposed ordinance and discussed the nearly 250 abandoned and dilapidated structures across the county.

Kirkendoll said the county had to address the problem of the eye-sore structures across the county.

"The ordinance we want to pass will give us the authority to implement this project and pass it," he said, explaining the county wants to raze abandoned and dilapidated homes, buildings and structures that are falling apart, have been burned or simply abandoned.

Kirkendoll said the owners would be identified and contacted and instructed to come up with a repair plan, sell the property to somebody who would fix it or dispose of it in some way.

Vacant coal camp houses, old abandoned businesses and even empty school buildings were addressed. Kirkendoll said some are owned by banks, some are owned by towns and some are owned by people who have long since left the area.

Kirkendoll said the county met with the state development authority about the problem and hopes to get some economic stimulus grants for demolition where needed.

"We will give them time to file a plan to clean them up," Kirkendoll said, noting there are many aspects to the issue.

"If you own one of these, you might want to start thinking about what you should do with it — fix it up or sell it to somebody who will,” Kirkendoll said.

If the owner has no plan, the county can provide one, Kirkendoll said.

"It will be uniform and straight across the board," he said. "We may make a few people mad. But if you ran a poll, and asked people would they like us to clean this problem up, I feel 98 percent of the public would agree.”

Local municipalities may want to pass their own ordinances and come in line with the county's plan, Kirkendoll said.

Logan Chief E.K. Harper of the City of Logan was present at the meeting to represent the town. Harper noted that last month his town had adopted the state's fire and building code, towards similar ends.

Kirkendoll said that if passed the ordinance would go into effect on the third reading in June.

"People know this is the right thing to do," Kirkendoll said and asked the municipalities to contact the county commission for assistance on dealing with the matter.

Kirkendoll said the abandoned structures are also a threat to the county's new tourism business, noting that studies have shown that the Hatfield-McCoy Trails bring in millions each year in tourist dollars to the county. "Last year, it brought in $7 million," he said.

"We have been working furiously to make this county better than it is now."