Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon City Council Looking To Clean Up 'Eyesores'

Gurdon has two ordinances on the books dealing with unsightly property.

One concerns structures on the property and the removal thereof, while the other deals with the maintenance of the property in question.

Gurdon's City Council, at its regular monthly meeting Monday, June 12, discussed getting some of the city's eyesores removed and/or cleaned up.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said it is up to the council to determine if a property is a nuisance or not. The council has the authority to condemn it if it is found to be a problem.

The laws, he said, are on the books and need to be enforced.

The council was told there are many state statutes in existence also dealing with dilapidated houses and unkempt lawns. Gurdon's ordinances, he said, were fashioned along these lines.

However, he said, the council needs to determine which houses to condemn first and go in an orderly manner. It would be too expensive to try and condemn all the dilapidates houses in town at one time.

Condemnation, he pointed out, is a lengthy process as the property owner or owners must be located and notified. If they can't be found, then the city must place an order of condemnation on the structure.

At this time, Smith said, getting things started will be a learning process for he and the council. But, he added, once the city begins razing condemned houses, it must be continued. "If we enforce the ordinance I think the people will agree."

A lot, he said, could be done without being expensive, but being noticeable .

The biggest problem with condemning property, he told the council, is finding the rightful owner or owners. In some cases several people own a piece of property.

According to Smith, there are more than 50 houses within the Gurdon City limits needing to be condemned or cleaned up.

However, if no owner(s) can be found, or the owner(s) fail to respond to the city's request, he said, the law provides for a notice of condemnation to be placed on the structure, along with being published in a county publication. Then, the city will be covered when it razes the house.

In addition, for those homeowners notified, yet ignoring the ordinance, they can be fined $50 per day, as each day constitutes a separate offense.

On vegetation, or unkempt exterior property, the owner(s) will be given 20 days notice in writing. Should the property not be cleaned up in this amount of time, the city marshal has the authority to get it done.

If the city cleans the property, a lien will be placed against it. The city, Smith said, has the right to enforce the lien any time within 18 months, with the lien amount to be determined by the council and the owner notified as to how much it is.

"This is a long, drawn out process," he said, "and some houses should have been condemned years ago. We need to make this a priority."

He said anyone knowing of property needing to be cleaned or condemned can call the Mayor's Office at City Hall at 353-2514.

"We need the community's help to be successful," he said.

Those whose property is condemned and will be razed, he continued, would be better off hiring someone to tear down the structure instead of having the city do it.

With the fines and fees involved, along with interest, plus 10 percent being charged, it will be more expensive if the city razes houses than if a private contractor was hired.

Anyone thinking they can let the city do this work and not pay, had better think again. Once the city knocks down a house, the information is sent to the county tax collector and is placed on the books accordingly.

Then, when the owner goes to pay their taxes, this amount is included. Smith said 3 percent of the revenue would be retained by the tax collector's office for administrative fees.

If the owner still doesn't pay, the state can, later on, come in and take the property for back taxes and sell it at auction.

Now, for those who think they can give the houses to the city for test burning for the Gurdon Fire Department, there comes another problem.Smith said the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), requires an asbestos survey to be done before the structure in question can be burned.

If asbestos is found, an abatement must be done following guidelines set forth by the ADEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency.

"It's more complicated than it should be," Smith told the council. "But if we do the proper research and are smart about it, then it'll get easier once we start.

"When people learn the city's serious, they'll take care of this themselves."

Smith is now working to create a permanent beautification committee for the city. This panel will report back to the council on a monthly basis at the regular council meetings.

Anyone wishing to volunteer to be on this committee can contact him at City Hall.

In other business, Smith said the new radios for the Gurdon Police Department are in and being used by the officers. These radios were paid for through a grant the city received, and not any city funds.

Ricky Frazier was approved as a member of the Gurdon Fire Department.

Frazier, Smith said, went through the personnel committee process, and was recommended by the GFD. He is employed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and on the Caddo Valley Fire Department.

There are still two openings to be filled with the GFD.

Smith pointed out the Gurdon Housing Authority was recently rated highly by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The federal government, he said, has a way where such housing developments can be compensated with grants.

He lauded Gurdon's housing authority and its staff.

The city received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau asking for the people's help on getting those who haven't turned in their forms to do so.

"It's crucial to get a good count," Smith said. "This is how the general fund and street department gets some of their money."

Anyone wanting to help, or knowing of someone who hasn't filled out their census forms can call 1-870-536-3425, or toll-free 1-888-325-7733.

The council also passed a resolution to split the funds generated from the recycling project 50-50 with the Gurdon Senior Adult Center.

Volunteers with the center have been working Saturday mornings to help the recycling effort, by manning the site and collecting recyclables.

The city, Smith said, had a gentlemen's agreement with the center to pay something for the volunteers' effort. Since the recycling project began, the city has collected $340.47. The center will receive half of this money.

Bids were opened for a new emergency warning siren to be placed on Highway 67 in the newly annexed area.

There was one bid, from Safetycom, the company the city purchased its other two sirens from. The bid was for $11,096, with the siren purchased to be exactly like the ones the city now has.