Reclaiming a neighborhood — one house at a time

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Katherine Mongrain says her Ninth Street neighborhood in west Medford has lots of charm and opportunity, even more so now that a reputed former drug house has been transformed.Jamie Lusch

West Medford had a reputation, sometimes deserved, of being a haven for drug houses.

That began to change when the Oregon Legislature removed methamphetamine-making ingredients from pharmacy shelves two years ago and homegrown meth labs began disappearing. Now, of the eight former meth lab sites identified by the state in Jackson County, only one is in Medford.

At least some neighbors in west Medford are determined to keep that change for the better moving forward.

In the case of a house on Ninth Street, neighbors and new owners Philip and Katherine Mongrain suspected years of meth abuse by both the tenants and regular visitors.

"It was rented to an old woman who, by all accounts, had kids who sold drugs from the house," said Katherine Mongrain, a local artist who purchased the 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath house in January. Three months of elbow grease and $30,000 later, the building has been transformed from a flophouse into a clean and charming home. The Mongrains hope a responsible, community-oriented family will purchase it.

"Our motive is to expose west Medford for what it really is — a very desirable and affordable area for first-time home buyers," said Mongrain. "This a gorgeous middle-class house that's in a fun, warm, eclectic neighborhood full of beautiful mature landscaping and history."

It's the first time the Mongrains have tried to "flip" a house, but it's not the first time the couple has eradicated a drug haven. Having raised three sons just blocks away, they lived through the worst of the area's drug history. Not willing to give into the dealers and users, Katherine has repeatedly drawn neighbors together to pressure drug house owners to either remove the offending tenants or, in the case of her newest project, sell the house to people who care.

"My neighbors and I have crushed this and it's so easy if you're not afraid of them," said Mongrain, a mosaic tile maker whose colorful studio on King and Dakota streets is a local landmark.

Medford police say neighbors can lead the charge in identifying drug houses and helping to get rid of them. And, they add, don't kid yourself into believing it can't happen on your street.

"We have a drug problem all over Medford and it can't be separated out between east and west Medford," said Sgt. Phil Eastman, supervisor of the Medford Police Department's Gang and Street Drug Unit.

Although drug cases have dropped from 496 in the first half of 2006 to 370 in the first half of this year, meth, marijuana and cocaine continue to cause problems all over Medford, Eastman said.

The Ninth Street project began with a general cleanup. Cans and bags and loose garbage had piled up in front of the single-car garage. Inside the garage, the couple found more than 50 syringes. The home's interior was just as shocking. Its historical character (the home was built in 1915) was masked by layers of macabre graffiti, filth and lack of care.

"This was the last house on the block and the worst," said Mongrain. "It was constantly open for business, with parties all night long."

Next-door neighbor Tina Grant said she witnessed the debauchery for more than six years. She made several police reports, including one made after her daughter found a bag of meth on a fence post, but it wasn't until the Mongrains bought the house that things truly started to change.

"I wasn't afraid of the tenants as much as the people who hung around," said Grant, a single mom of three daughters. "Toward the end there were teenagers involved and my dog was barking all night. Now it's quiet and I'm not scared to have my grandkids play outside."

Neighbor Nikki Corliss agreed. Once exposed to obnoxious music at 3 a.m. and "60 people every day on cars and bikes, acting aggressively and sweating profusely," she and her family can now sleep peacefully.

"There's not one single tweaker coming down the street anymore," said Corliss.

Jennifer Strange is a freelance writer living in Central Point. Reach her at jlstrange@hotmail.com.

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