By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
Tall grass and an overabundance of weeds has some village of Urbancrest council members requesting that action be taken.
At the June 14 meeting, councilwoman Deborah Larkins-Jackson asked if anything could be done to address the number of properties within the village whose lawns have grown out of control.
“Can we, as a village, do something about this?” she asked.
Randy Bogue, the village’s code enforcement officer, said there are a variety of ways they can address the issue, but it depends on whether the property is vacant or inhabited.
According to Bogue, if the property is vacant, the village can clean up the property and assess the cost to the homeowner come tax season. If the property is inhabited, he said the village issues several notifications asking them to clean up the area. If those notifications are ignored, they are issued a cease and desist notification and can even be taken to court if all else fails.
Bogue said that most of the residents in the village have been diligent about the upkeep on their lawns, but mentioned that with all of the rain lately, it can sometimes creep up on them.
On the topic of village beautification, councilwoman Alicia Wiggins brought up the state of the playground at Martin Luther King Park.
According to Wiggins, the play area has become inhabited by weeds rather than children and has requested that matter be addressed as well.
Mayor Joseph Barnes Sr. later stated that the weeds at the playground have been removed and the grass at the vacant properties have been clipped as well.
In regards to the inhabited properties and their high grass, Barnes said most of those homeowners were out of town on vacation and addressed the issue when they returned.
In other news, the restriction of access to Augustus Drive for motorists travelling from Urbancrest Industrial Drive is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Larkins-Jackson asked when the sign would be posted as a month had passed since the ordinance was voted upon.
Barnes said that the village has received the sign, but not the post itself. He added that as soon as the post arrives, the street department will install it.
Barnes also said that the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has been notified of the change and has been assured that they will monitor the situation and look for violators of the ordinance.
As per the ordinance, motorists travelling from Urbancrest Industrial Drive will not be able to access Augustus Drive between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. of the regular work week. The council has said the restriction was needed due to the influx of traffic coming down their residential streets, which posed a safety hazard to village residents.
