OLMSTED, Ill. (WSIL) � Once known as a peaceful retirement community nestled along the Ohio River, the village of Olmsted is now confronting a crisis that's eating away at its charm; growing number of dilapidated, abandoned homes. "I need our uh� congressman to take notice... We really need help!"
Mayor Curtis Marshall isn’t mincing words. With sagging rooftops, boarded-up windows, and homes slowly collapsing into ruin, residents say the blight is dragging down property values and community morale.
“We try to keep our city clean,� Marshall told News 3.
“But as you probably saw when you came in, there are a lot of abandoned houses that need to be torn down.�
The issues stem from a sharp decline in population and economic opportunity. Many homes have been left behind, some still occupied, others in complete decay. And when residents give up on their properties, the burden falls on the village.
“People say they don’t want the property anymore,� Marshall said.
“So they just let it go down. Then we’re responsible for mowing, cleaning up, and it’s really a problem for us.�
With limited revenue and no current funding, city officials say they simply can’t afford to demolish or maintain every crumbling structure.
Some residents, left with few alternatives, have resorted to living in old buses converted into makeshift homes. Others have moved trailers and campers onto vacant lots, a quick fix, but one that disqualifies the town from state and federal revitalization grants.
“There was grant money before,� the mayor explained.
“But the rule was, we could only tear down homes if something new was built in its place. Now, with trailers and campers being brought in, we no longer qualify. And we’re kind of suffering from it.�
Olmsted’s population has dropped significantly in the past decade, shrinking the town’s tax base and ability to invest in infrastructure or revitalization.
“We can’t afford to tear them down,� Marshall said bluntly.
“We really need help.�
The homeowners who remain say they’re watching their property values and quality of life deteriorate with each abandoned house left to rot.
 “We’re hurting…� says Mayor Marshall.
Marshall says the town needs outside intervention; federal support, targeted grants, or state-level solutions, to break the cycle. Until then, Olmsted is caught in a painful loop: not enough people to generate revenue, and not enough revenue to fix the problem.
So for now, the village waits, hoping someone, somewhere, is listening.
