Prairie Township residents expressed concern regarding recent zoning violations and ongoing nuisance cases that plague the township at the Jan. 17 regularly scheduled trustee meeting.
Properties located on Mix Avenue, Hubbard Road, and Evergreen Terrace continue to remain on the list of nuisance cases, though progress has been made to improve the status of the areas.
“I went by all the properties and they’ve all made some sort of improvement,” said trustee Steve Kennedy.
“Mix Avenue is still cluttered, but most of the large pieces have been removed.”
“Despite recent strides, residents complained of other unreported areas in need of attention.
One resident described a property that “still has cars that don’t run, trash on the front porch, a broken garage door, a riding mower that hasn’t worked since the owner moved in. They can’t even move their trash cans back in…It’s taking the neighborhood down.”
Chairman Nicole Schlosser explained that the purpose of the nuisance law is to prevent the potential for rodents and vermin to live on unkempt properties.
“We’re not looking to clean up someone else’s clutter.”
Residents were also reminded that the zoning department does not have the authority to venture onto an owner’s property.
In response, one resident felt that the board should reconsider or rewrite a property maintenance code as a solution to allow zoning to further regulate properties as well as excessively loud vehicles.
The board of trustees promised to consider this request and encouraged residents to report to the zoning department any properties with the potential to harbor rodents or vermin.
In other news, Zoning Inspector Connie Swisher announced that the zoning department will now send out postcards in place of letters for property owner notifications. The postcards will carry the same information and save the township in time and postage costs.
