February 23, 2010

Dirty Dozen

The Chandler Business Group had a meeting today with various members of the city administration regarding certain problem properties. It went real real well.

The City of Worcester has alot of good people working at the street level. One of my complaints, however, have been the blanket code sweeps. You the code department goes into Main South and writes up a couple hundred code violations. Don't get me wrong the people, who do the sweeps, work hard but what does it really do. The City has limited resources, lets take these same people and effort and focus on the properties that are the habitual offenders.

Every single neighborhood in the City of Worcester has that one property that accounts for 75% percent of the problems. Focusing on those properties is a better example of addressing the "broker window" theory versus writing up a couple hundred code violations. My hope is that today's meeting has laid the groundwork for a "Dirty Dozen" program that will formally public list the 12 worst properties in the City of Worcester, along with the ownership, utlizing statisitics and input from the various neighborhood groups and crime watches. The City then uses the full scope of the nuisance ordinance against these 12 properties.

We will see. By the way I got this idea from a WMRB report that I read years ago citing how this is what they have done in other cities like Toledo.

8 comments:

Jahn said...

Clark Univ is nortorious for getting the code dept to come to the Clark 'hood and do these sweeps. Often they tend to coincide with certain events going on at Clark.

Then in VOP we have Worcester Common Grd who goes on their power trip of turning in private Landlords, meanwhile one only need to look to WCG's unshovled, uncut Mason St site that the city will never cite b/c these non profit home builders are favored players in Worcester.

Did anyone ask about the Code dept powers that be about the ABSOLUTE F+++ING DISASTER salt storage shed at Clark & East Mountain Sts. I was told 4 years that there were plans to rebuild it. They did fix the front of it last fall. This structures other 3walls are completely imploded from over loading it with salt over the years. If thsi was a privatley owned structure it would be condemmed. Frankly I am tempted to turn it in to the state building/safety authorities just in time for the spring yard cleaning season. Citizens actually stand w/in 20 ft of this Leaning Tower of Pizza to off load their yard waste. Heaven forbid it lets go on a warm spring afternoon.

IMO, The code dept motis operandi is a God dam joke. It's analogous a law enforcemnt officer who works for the drug squad and then turns a blind eye to certain favored players who sell drugs.

Then there's the AUD, too.

Paul Shea said...

Unrelated topic. It's kind of a rant actually. I just read 2 other blogs and I get mad reading them because they are about absolutely nothing. Bill, your blog is different and I appreciate the fact that you don't blog 50 times a day about stuff nobody cares about. You only post periodically and they usually spur some debate. It's okay to have a few fun ones sprinkled in too.

But I just read 2 other blogs to take a break from my work day. One blogger has already posted over a dozen topics all about nonsense. None of them spur debate or generate comments because nobody cares about the topic. The other blog i read was just as bad. I wonder why these bloggers spend so much time doing it, and why they have so much time to dedicate to it.

Anyways, I used to get dissapointed when I logged on to your blog and it's been a slow day for posting. But now i appreciate it. You are not wasting your time or your readers time with nonsense.

Sometimes I can't understand Jahn's writing but i'm learning. his abbreviations are killing me.

okay my rant is over. sorry for that.

Paul Shea said...

Bill,

The T&G is way behind you. They just posted an article about Hanover taking over Citysquare.

Paulie's Point of View said...

we are not worthy...now not only is Wild Will Randell Senor Pedro Jahn he is now Paul Shea:>)

Anyway, having a wonderful time in Hyannis

Jahn said...

I know I do tend todrop a word now and then and tend to transpose letters. My last typing class was Jr high 8th grade plus I am a "public" and I took neither the short nor the long school bus. I walked both ways Actually there were no short school buses back then. The City bus company transported the school kids.

Abbreviations..........actually that was Pualies Abbreviation.....VOP = Village of Piedmont (I think). Eye figured it out sew yew s/b Abel, two.

B/c = Becuz (not Boston College, not Bill Clinton, & not Big Chest.) teh = the......

Jahn said...

Staying on Camp St Pualie?

How's the new Harrys?

Capt Parkers = nice CC place to eat....open year round..not sure about Guiness on tap tho :(

Wanna sea some NO-LO hotel temporary housing for the newly homeless....I'll tell ya where to go

Mill Hill C. still standing?

Paulie's Point of View said...

I am shacking up at the Econolodge for two weeks..executive sweet:>)

Ole Snug Harbor....guy who build my decks on Chandler did all the finish work in the office..Jose has been dead for ten years

Rainy..forecas for Sunday..40 degrees possible flurries/light rain..entertaining 10,000...

Jahn said...

Piedmont Paulie, the Econo Lodge!!!!!! Surely you jest? So close to Madre's?

Too bad the Cascades (the Fountain of days gone by) isnt open in the winter. Or the Yankee Budget further down in West Yarmouth. Both are also decent low rent options

You can take Pualie Piedmont outta the Village of Piedmont (VOP) but ya cant take the Piedmont outta Pualie. [g]


Going to Harrys tonight? Windjammer? (R U old enough yet?) Capt Parkers?