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Streets committee discusses vacant lots

EAST LIVERPOOL — Although at least one city council member wants to fine owners of weed-infested vacant lots, other officials favor first trying a less punitive method of getting them cleaned up.

During a meeting Thursday of council’s streets, land and buildings committee, member Ray Perorazio said he believes those who fail to cut the grass should be fined, the grass cut by city workers and a lien placed upon the home where the lot owners live to repay the city.

Service-Safety Director Brian Allen, however, pointed out, “How can I put a lien on their property? There is nothing in the code that says I can fine him, and who’s going to cut the grass?”

Perorazio said new code needs put into place so people can start being fined.

Committeemen Bill Hogue said there are warrants “stacking up down there (in the police department) that can’t get delivered. We have more pressing problems.”

Perorazio replied, “Drug dealers find this a good place to settle down in because nobody cares about anything.”

Hogue said several years ago there were groups of volunteers who worked in the city, cleaning up, which he said, “made a great difference,” noting that Councilman Ernest Peachey has seen a “huge success” with his playground committee by enlisting volunteer help to clean up those facilities this year.

Admitting he knows that “asking for volunteer help gets old,” Hogue said it nonetheless might be the way to go in getting vacant lots cleaned up.

“Once you spoke to them and got nowhere, you should have reported it to me,” Allen advised Perorazio about a situation he had encountered, but Perorazio said, “Nothing gets done.”

Allen answered hotly, “That upsets me. If you call my office, it gets done.”

He said, “We have to work together. You can’t just create new fines and fine people. You know these people; talk to them. Then, if you get nowhere, we can go the enforcement route.”

Hogue agreed, saying, “There’s no reason we can’t sit down with neighbors and say, ‘We have overgrown lots in the neighborhood,’ and start the process that way.”

Allen suggested, “Try to meet with them, have lunch with them, get them convinced to clean up before calling me.”

Discussion centered on creating block watches to facilitate the cleanups, and committee Chairman Craig Stowers said he wants to meet with Allen to get that started.

Allen also pointed out there is currently no list of vacant lots in the city, saying having such a list is important.

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