Examiner

Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith on Monday will tout the demolition of a vacant government-owned home that has prompted complaints from neighbors about break-ins and parties.

County officials said the former group home on the 100 block Greenwood Avenue in Overlea was razed last week to the delight of community members who have long complained about vagrants using it. Neighbors are expected to gather at the site Monday to celebrate the swift end to what they called a longtime blight.

“Officers working the beat noticed that the house was being used by the homeless and as a hangout for neighborhood young people,” said Bill Toohey, a Baltimore County police spokesman. “This is a classic example of the two key elements of community policing: partnership formation and problem solving.”

Maryland Del. Todd Schuler, who lives in the Elmwood neighborhood where the home is located, is expected to attend Monday’s event. Schuler said he toured the premise with an elderly neighbor and was shocked by expletives written on the boarded-up door.