How Long Does It Take To Clean The 10th Street Viaduct?

Yesterday, I again cleaned the 10th Street viaduct. It took me 1-hour and 37-minutes to complete the job. It is not a safe thing to do without a police escort or flagman-crew.

I certainly don't recommend that anyone take on the task. Having personally walked that viaduct in both lanes and the sidewalk cleaning up bottles, cans, blowing newspapers and fast food waste; not to mention all of the "unmentionables", I can testify to the required labor costs and time necessary to keep a viaduct in a clean and orderly manner.

Will someone please tell me why our city government can't develop a plan and schedule for cleaning all of our viaducts on a weekly basis? Having personally cleaned both the 10th and 16th street viaducts over the past six-months, I can confirm that all six of our viaducts could be cleaned in one 8-hour shift with one person and an escort vehicle for protecting the safety of the one walking worker. If I was able to do this cost/benefit analysis, why hasn't the city administration?

Sounds like a good investment in starting to clean our city up! What do you think?

A friend blows off steam regarding unenforced laws

Thirty-nine years in the same house on Tenth Avenue. Have things changed? Yes they have changed a great deal. Landlords rent to College Students. The rule of the city is "no more than three persons allowed in the household not related by blood or marriage. How about five living in the same house. That means Five Cars, too. No homeowner can claim the parking in front of their home. So, the renters take your spot.

Trash is picked up on Tuesday. One rental never takes out their trash. They pile it up on their porch or between the walk way next to the neighbor. They throw trash out on the sidewalk of the walk way. They leave the trash barrel out for days. They throw cans, beer bottles in the yards. They never pick up. The student renters have a dog that messes in the front yard. Ten to 15 droppings of waste. Health problem? I would think so. They park on the wrong side of street going the wrong way. They drive in fast and leave fast. What if a small child runs out in the street by error, could they stop?

The police should come by an ticket their cars. Just because they are young people does not give them the right to break the law. Just because they go to Marshall University does not give them the right to ignore the laws of the City of Huntinton. They are not guests. You live here, you abide by the laws and rules that apply to the working members of our community.

And, finally, when they turn right at the stop sign without stopping and checking to see if another car is coming it is a violation of the motor vehicle operation laws. Running up our street at 45-55 mph is a no go; they only slow down at the 11th Street stop sign. They rush through. The City of Huntington could purchase a new patrol car a month with the income generated from these tickets.

These feelings are just the tip of the iceburg. I was raised in the West End of Huntington. If I stepped out of line growing up, the neighbors in a twenty block area would call my grandparents about my poor behavior.

Don Watts Huntington, WV

Huntington Does Not Enforce It's Existing Laws?

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Pittsburgh City Council members yesterday introduced legislation to force owners of vacant properties to submit plans to demolish, board up, or rehabilitate them -- or face stiff fines.

Vacant buildings have become "a problem we can't get rid of," said Councilman Len Bodack, who with Councilman Dan Deasy, authored the legislation. "Hopefully now this gives us the ability to try to do something." The city boarded up the property, and condemned it, but has not scheduled it for demolition.

Under the proposed legislation, the owner of a building that became abandoned would be required, within 30 days, to give the city's Bureau of Building Inspection a plan to secure it, demolish it or fix it up. If neighbors or community groups make the bureau aware of a vacant property, it could demand that the owner submit a plan.

Failure to submit a plan would bring a fine of up to $300 a day. "That could be mighty expensive," said Councilwoman Darlene Harris, a co-sponsor. "Sometimes you have to hit people in the pocket."

The owner would have to carry out the plan in 180 days, or seek an extension, though there is no fine for failing to follow through. Mr. Bodack said he's been working on the legislation for months, but was spurred by a Jan. 5 fire in Hazelwood that started in a vacant building and devoured 12 houses. "We need to have this tool out there for the Bureau of Building Inspection," he said.

Creating a registration requirement "gives us a database of how many properties are out there that are vacant," said Mr. Deasy, who said he has involved Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's staff in drafting the legislation.

He said the city then could put vacant properties that are near schools and playgrounds at the top of the list for code enforcement, boarding or demolition. "At a glimpse, we'd be able to find out for the communities, who is the person who owns this property," said Ms. Harris. "Who is the person that needs to take care of this property?" Building inspectors also would provide council and the mayor with a list of vacant properties twice a year.

Why doesn't our Mayor and Huntington City Council enforce the existing laws related to fire damaged and dilapidated properties?

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07017/754322-53.stm

Did You Cause The Ratcliff Building Fire?

An insurance investigator reported that a large birds' nest filled with cigarette butts, one of them possibly lit, may well have been the origination point of the fire that destroyed one of the most attractive buildings on 5th Avenue. The Huntington Fire Department has not determined the cause and may not be able to confirm the investigator's findings.

Assuming the insurance investigator is correct, I wonder who the thoughtless people were who threw down all of the butts found in the birds' nest? And who threw down the still smouldering butt that most likely ignited the destructive blaze?

And who's not to say that the Emmons buildings on 3rd Avenue were not damaged as the result of a cigarette butt being disposed of in an improper manner? Our streets and gutters all over the city are filled with cigarette smoking material! What a blight on our hometown!

It is time to outlaw smoking in public! What do you think?

Walking the Talk!

A fellow concerned citizen emailed me this video this morning. Take a look -

http://www.walkthetalk.com/the212movie.php?refsource=vm212mrp1

Adopt YOUR Block, our volunteer litter-abatement group now numbers close to 700 Huntington residents who have committed to "walking the talk" by keeping the block on which they live free of cigarette butts and litter.

If you are ready to walk, call me and I will deliver you a "litter-stick", which will allow you to pick up everything from cigarette butts to large bottles without bending over or touching them. I even have plastic bags for folks who really can't afford to buy them. We ask that you try to pick up your block one time per week. Just tie up your plastic bag and put it out with your weekly household trash. The city crews will gladly pick it up.

Litter begets litter, so try to pick up once per week. But remember, all household trash and litter must be tied up, and it should not weight more than 40-pounds.

Help us walk the talk by assisting us in our efforts to keep all of Cabell County's neighborhoods shining!

Do you know of any neighborhoods that need assistance with their litter problem?

If you wish to post this information, or to make any other comments you wish, just click on "Post Comments" on the right - located immediately below this post. I'll personally check out the situation in any neighborhood and assist the residents in establishing a simple plan to keep each block in a clean and orderly condition.

Let's walk the talk!

A Truly Transparent City Government?

It is way past time for our Mayor and City Council to publish a monthly financial report to the citizens of Huntington. The report should include all expenditures and revenue for each month. The report should itemize all revenue streams and note if any of these revenue sources are committed to pay a specific obligation. The report should include a sub-report of all short-term and long-term financial obligations. It should reflect the original amount of each obligation, the monthly payment, the original number of payments, the total number of remaining payments - and if a shortfall of income to expenses occurs in any given month this figure should be revealed.

Every Huntington citizen has the right to know what their government is doing. The Freedom of Information Act is a necessary tool to find out what our officials are doing. However, we should not have to use a legal challenge to obtain the on-going monthly condition of our city's operation, We can control our government only if we remain informed about the decisions our government officials are making. This information should be made public for each and every month of the city's operation - and without cost to a citizen. The full report should be published in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. Who knows, we citizens may be enlightened by the information and be more receptive to supporting the city's needed tough decisions that will be required if our city is to reverse its population loss and economic decline.

Each citizen of Huntington is a shareholder of our city. The Huntington City Council is our board of directors. The city government can regain the trust and support of our citizens quickly, if they will move immediately to require the monthly publication of our government's monthly financial condition; it would immediately establish on-going total transparency. Mr. and Mrs. Citizen, what do you think?

Huntington Urban Decay & A Better Way

Progressively, Huntington neighborhoods have become victims of urban decay. Over several decades parts of our city have continued to spiral into a state of deplorable disrepair. Signs of this decay have included population loss, housing stock deterioration and increases in crime. In addition, many neighborhoods that have otherwise well-maintained homes, are scared by random fire-damaged and/or dilapidated properties.

Urban decay is caused by a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the construction of highways and freeways through urban neighborhoods, government lending practices, racism, natural economic cycles and other social factors. In Huntington, a large portion of the number of sub-standard housing units can be traced to absentee landlords and, especially, some landlords who prey on low income families - and college students who can’t pay for their education and high rent at the same time. So, these folks rent an apartment or house from these (yes, I’ll say it) “slum landlords” for rents that are too high for the poor physical condition of the rental units - and then have to tolerate the landlords refusal to maintain the space in a safe and liveable condition. Yes, you know I speak the truth!

Repairing broken neighborhoods and preventing future decline has not been a priority for the leaders we have elected to govern us, nor has the lack of enforcement of building and health codes helped the situation over the years.

I propose the end of the road for landlords from hell and a better deal for people in shared accommodations. A strict new licensing system will improve safety and conditions in student residences and shared houses throughout Huntington. Owners will be required by law to apply for a license, which the City of Huntington may refuse to issue if properties are not in compliance with all building, fire, electrical, plumbing, health, trash collection and safety codes and ordinances. Slum landlords will face prosecution and fines of up to $5,000, if they fail to meet rigorous standards of safety and quality.

The vast majority of Huntington landlords are responsible, but we have to clamp down on the minority who don't play by the rules. The attitude of some unscrupulous owners means tenants are putting up with poor conditions in unsafe, overcrowded properties. This is simply not acceptable in the 21st century and we must take action to ensure all landlords meet the same standards. This new landlord licensing ordinance will make it the duty of the City of Huntington to inspect and monitor shared properties and the power to act when they are below standard. The city will be able to refuse licenses where there are concerns over factors such as fire safety, physical conditions and bad management standards. They will also have powers to search properties suspected of operating without a license and instigate prosecution in such cases.

Good landlords would have nothing to fear from this proposed landlord licensing law, but bad ones will have everything to fear. They will now have to improve fire and gas safety, toilet and cooking facilities and the general condition of properties, while repairing and maintaining each unit within a reasonable period of time after being notified by a tenant. Once a license is achieved, however, the guarantee of high standards it brings will improve the status of the private student and low-income housing sectors and make properties easier to let. This new law will be particularly welcome for Marshall University students living away from home and the hundreds of our citizens who must find housing they can afford while being at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords. It's time for our city's political leaders to act ... let's have a little less talk and a little more action!

How would you like to clean up this mess?

Sad to say, but this is only one of the many horrific messes that the City of Huntington's Sanitation workers run upon every day. How would you like to clean up this mess?

Frankly, the sanitation workers don't have the time to rake all of this garbage up, re-bag it and throw it into their compactor truck ... and they shouldn't have to! Huntington's City Council needs to immediately strengthen the ordinance related to household trash collection. The ordinance should be modified to require that properly sealed plastic bags of trash be placed in tightly sealed containers and placed at the point of collection. The containers should be of a uniform style and size and be of the Pelican-style that have the lid permanently attached. Currently, the ordinance states that plastic bags can be placed for pickup without being in a closed container on the day of the pickup. Many people don't even place their garbage in a sealed bag, and many of the ones who do begin putting their plastic bags of trash and garbage out days before the next scheduled pickup. Within hours, animals find their way to the potential site of any food that they might find (God bless the poor animals that are homeless and hungry, due to some unfeeling human being casting them out to survive on their own). Dogs, cats, rodents and other wild animals tear open the bags, and the wind, rain and cars scatter it for blocks and blocks. Trust me litter travels until something substantial stops it! This can be stopped, but Huntington City Council must have the "guts" to establish strict rules for this issue and enforce them! The ordinance states that a resident in violation of the ordinance related to this issue can, after a ten-day opportunity to correct the violation, be fined up to $500. and be given a jail term of up to thirty-days. No more bags or loose items placed out for pickup! Everything in a sealed bag and kept in a tightly sealed container that is not so full that the lid won't stay closed. If a resident needs several of these approved containers to fulfill the requirement, so be it! It's time to resolve this issue once and for all! City Council needs to demonstrate the courage required to get tough with the residents that are causing this on-going blight on our community! We ought to be mad as hell and not allow it anymore! Are you with me? Call your councilperson and encourage them to "stand up for the good and welfare of our neighborhoods!" Are you with me? Together we can accomplish anything we can imagine!