Valley citizens request property cleanups
BY JOHN BRICE
FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN
VALLEY — Two local residents shared their concerns over blighted properties located in the city of Valley during the Valley City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 10. First to speak was Roccoa Spurlin regarding the property owned by the city located next to 4045 Columbus Road.
“I am here to ask the city [to] please clean up your property or if you would sell it to me and let me purchase it in a quick deed,” Spurlin said. “You should [see] the boundary lines that were dropped off last week to the city. You can see it has not been taken care of by anyone in the last eight months. There were places down the 200-foot mark I had photos of where the grass is well over knee high.”
Spurlin then described the dying tree on the property that could fall down and cause significant property damage.
“The morning of Jan. 12, I stopped at the gas station and talked to Reid Riley about having that tree removed,” Spurlin said. “He called and had it put on the list. He assured me that night at the city council meeting that tree was on the list. Last week, when I came down, I asked if I could have a list of the trees, that tree is nowhere on this list. Mayor, I am asking you for your help in getting a resolution because that tree could fall on the shed right there.”
Planning and Development Director Reid Riley addressed these concerns, stating that a water main located on the city property and other adjacent properties owned by other residents complicated the matter being resolved. Riley said the decision has been pushed into 2027 when the next bids would go out for property clean ups. Mayor Leonard Riley concluded the discussion by stating that the situation would be looked into.
Next was local resident Lucia Meeks, who shared details of trash being dumped on Greenberry Circle.
“There is a wooded area that begins beside our houses,” Meeks said. “There is one home in that area, it has been unoccupied for a year and a half. The problem is we have people dumping trash and other things along that strip. The things we have found there are dryer drums, tires, mattresses, barrels, dead animals — a dead dog, a headless owl and a turtle that had been run over.”
Meeks went on to explain her frustrations for what she believes to be a lack of action by the city in resolving the matter.
“This is not only odorous and unsightly, but it is a health hazard as well as an environmental hazard,” Meeks said. “We have contacted the local police, we have contacted the solid waste department. They have tried to identify who is throwing the trash. They have taken away some, but most of it is still there.”
Reid Riley said the property would be condemned with all the trash being removed as part of a 60-day process.
In other business:
A motion was approved for an alcohol application by El Mirador Mexican Grill, expected to open for business in the near future.
There was a consent agenda approved which included six weed liens, two public consumption of alcohol requests, a five-year paving plan proposal for Valley streets, a streetlight agreement for Lismore Drive and bids for surplus equipment.
