Abandoned buildings are not just an eyesore to city officials trying to clean up the appearance within Winnfield’s corporate limits but also a frustration to residents who see how slowly the wheels of government can turn.
The problem was witnessed at the March 12 meeting of the Winnfield City Council meeting when during the “Guest and Audience Participation” item on the agenda, Lena Avenue resident Shena Williams Jacobs voiced her concerns over her view of failed cleanup efforts in District 5. She explained that after attempts to work with council member Teresa Phillips and Mayor Gerald Hamms, she thought to bring her complaints before the entire council.
“I work hard. I’m a veteran. I want to bring my kids up in District 5.” She said she’s done everything she could to get a home but conditions of abandoned homes that area are so bad, appraisers won’t even come in to make an appraisal. ‘’You can come in and cut grass but you can’t take care of these buildings. What’s more important?”
City attorney Herman Castete responded that the City of Winnfield is actively working on cleanup, the city fire department having done control burns on several while other properties are being processed. But it’s not as easy as Ms. Jacobs hopes. “The grass is a city ordinance we can control but property demolition is state law that we must follow.” That becomes really complicated when the only name on a deed on condemned property is that of the deceased and the heirs don’t want to take responsibility.
He added that people don’t understanding the legal length of time it takes to take care of a condemned house, suggesting that the City Council has done a “yeoman’s job” in their efforts to remove these eyesores.
The frustration in this length of time was evident. Ms. Jacobs said, “This is where I live. This is what I see every day. The problems of dilapidated houses, of abandoned trailers. A leaking fire hydrant that’s sunk so much it’s just covered with a black bag. I spoke with Ms. Phillips. I spoke with Mayor Hamms. I’m trying to make a record of these problems in District 5.”
