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Vacant houses worry residents
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2008
NATCHEZ — An extensive discussion on vacant houses in the Woodlawn area took place at the Natchez Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night.
Valencia Hall, a resident in this area, came before the board with concerns that vacant houses in the area are encouraging illegal activity.
Drug dealing and using and young children, between the ages of 8 and 9 at the youngest, wandering the street late at night are a few issues she believes stem from these houses.
Hall, coming as a representative for her neighborhood watch committee, presented the board with photographs of the vacant houses.
“We’re tired of this in our neighborhood and we want you to do something about it,” she said.
Mayor Phillip West said this is a concern of the board’s and they hope to find a solution to it.
“To eliminate this problem, it’s going to take a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of resources,” he said, although believing it can be done.
Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said that these vacant houses are a problem and they police station is doing its best to patrol the area to keep illegal activities at bay.
Alderman Theodore “Bubber” West brought up that a few years back, a nuisance ordinance was adopted and a budget was set up to deal with these types of houses.
Any house that posed to be a nuisance or threat, like these houses do, could be boarded up using money from a $50,000 budget, he said.
Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis and Alderman Ricky Gray also made requests to have houses in their wards considered under this ordinance.
Alderman West made a motion to have City Building Inspector Paul Dawes, Fire Chief Paul Johnson, Interim City Planner Walter Huston and Mullins to identify and begin boarding up these houses and to report back to the board with their progress in two weeks.
The motion was accepted.
In other business, Mayor West requested that the board authorize City Engineer David Gardner to begin accepting bids on resurfacing the four major arteries– St. Catherine, Homochitto, Martin Luther King Jr. and East Franklin streets.
West said if they get the $1.5 million they requested from the state legislature to overlay these streets, that they should be ready to move forward immediately.
“It’s time for us to just make something happen,” West said.
He said he is hopeful the city will get the money from the legislature, but if not, he believes there are other options.
Gardner made an announcement that work is being done to draft the phases of the North Natchez Project that will fix drainage issues on Buckners Alley.
Eloise Trask, Natchez resident, asked for an appeal on a decision made by the planning commission denying her request to put a mobile home on her property at 108 Shaw St.
Her appeal was approved with a 3-2 vote.
The Alpha and Omega Stompers, a Christian group comprised of young children, visited the board and gave a performance.
Comments
Posted by scarlettohara (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In regards to the street conditions...
Why is something not done about Homochitto St? There is one section in particular that makes my car feel like a dilapidated freight train every time I pass over it. This has to be one of the most heavily traveled areas in town.
I travel this street several times a day and dread the wear and tear on my vehicle.
Posted by hitormiss (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 1:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Scarlettohara, Homochitto is on the list. That's what they approved last night.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 1:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why not just bulldoze them down???
Amazing what all starts happening during election year ain't it?
Posted by csguidry (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 5:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I was under the impression that the homeowners were responsible for the up keep and condition of their property? Why not send out letters to have them take care of it by a certian date and then either have the property cleaned and secured and send the bill to the owner or the city take over the homes and either find a use for them or have them torn down.
The residents need to get out and make their presence known there and this may eliminate some of the illegal activity. I would stay on the phone to NPD or county everytime I saw something that was wrong or illegal. Get as many as possible to join this cause and stop the crime unless we bully this kind of activity into leaving the area it will never get any better.
Roads are a mess in every state it makes one wonder where the state and federal tax money is actually going to.Obviously not the intended project!
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This town certainly should look beautiful with boarded up houses everywhere. PW knows how to handle this problem with his bulldozer. He proved that on the building that belonged to his suggar daddy. And really, thats the only delapidated building that has been handled properly. But PW says its gonna take a lot of money, to get him away from his golf or comfy office chair I guess.
Anyone considered publishing photos of some of these buildings and the names of their owners? I think the public would be in for some surprises.
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Boarded up houses are breeding grounds for all types of crimes, not to mention, when the homeless take up shelter there, fire hazards are created. I know the problem of boarded up houses in Jackson, but I was just in that area, Woodlawn, going to Union to visit my grandmother and have Easter dinner. As I passed through certain parts of the area, the boarded up houses made everything look like urban blight. Here, the owners are given 30 days to clean it up, or the city tears it down.
Posted by fedup21 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OldGrandDad, could you explain what you are talking about? Who is Sugardaddy? Who are you talking about that plays golf and sits in a comfy office chair?
Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why is West doing something about the roads now, Its been terrible for so many years. I guess election year motivates people
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
touch a nerve...?
Posted by sparky018 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree! Nothing gets done untill it's time for election! Sounds like when we were voting for supervisor and 2 days before, Kingston road got cleaned up and the grass got cut! If this is the case, do we need an election every week? The roads of Natchez are very poor! Sometimes i feel like i'm driving on a roller coaster from hell when I am traveling through Natchez! Hmmm...
Posted by fay2ntz (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have drug dealing on one side and vacant house on the other and the home next to the vacant house has young children from ages 3 to 17 hanging out all day. The children play in the street and are often left alone. I have reported this problem to DHS and nothing happened. Now, the teenagers are walking over to the other home next to me to purchase their drugs and then disappear, I assume inside the vacant home. I have been reporting this problem to my supervisor, Mr. Grennell, Kathy Walker, the Sheriff's office, the vacant home's property owner, and of course DHS since October of 2006. Nothing has been done, no one seems to care until something bad happens. What is wrong with this county?!!!!
Posted by inocentbystandr (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When they re-paved Canal Street, why did they only do half of it. Every time I cross over the train tracks I think my axels are going to fall out. Same thing with the Liberty Road, Natchez Trace overpass. Why did they not go ahead and do the other half a mile to the city/county line? Dosen't make any sense to me.
Posted by supertrucker47 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THEY ARE CRACK HOUSES.TARE THEM DOWN AND CLEAN UP THE CITY.TY
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
sparky018 you are so right..I live in Kingston also..It was amazing what was done right before election time..
teach4peace we haven't been moved from Jackson very long. I was wondering whyt he city would takeon this exspense without even trying to contact the owner. Melton would contact them after it was done lol....
So does this mean if my house needs some repairs West will do it and charge it to the city?
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would like to know who owns these houses. If these houses are being used for illegal activity shouldn't the owners be liable. They went after a business owner for allowing the same thing. If West is dragging his feet I wonder if he owns them.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good point beammeupscotty
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know this has nothing to do with this but....Has anyone saw where they were putting up a fitness center over there by ryans? It says 24/7 ....I felt like when i moved back here the streets rolled up at 10pm...Just curious about the 24/7 for natchez...
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey fire, I heard that it will be open 24/7 and members will have a swipe card to get in at any time they want to. That would be good for the staff at the hospitals who work 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. I guess -provided we have any staff left. Let's see how it does.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yea i guess didn't think about that...I just know i thought the streets rolled up at 10 pm here when i first moved back...I got up one night was going to go get something to eat after 10 lol that was a joke.....I was like ok now you are no longer in Jackson so you have to get on there schedule lol...
Posted by csguidry (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
fay2ntz,If you are having problems getting the local authorities to take notice of this problem then start contacting the state agencies and see if that helps. When we stop making an effort then they win. I have had to do this before myself and when I did not get any help or response locally I went to the state and started in. Start with the state childs agency if they know these teens are buying drugs then they will get the state police involved and the two together get the rest of it in place. They will not be satisfied until it is settled. If nothing else get the neigbors together and start a petition to have the owners do something with the vacant house if enough people get involved then things start to happen.
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