City to crack down on code

As the weather progressively gets warmer, the City of Portland will crack down on code enforcement.
Portland City Council approved two new code enforcement ordinances on second reading at its meeting Monday.
Police Chief Nathan Springer explained the new orders.
One of the changes moved the final date for lawn mowing to Oct. 15 from the previous date of Aug. 15. Residents who do not keep their lawns mowed until that date will receive a warning. If the lawn is not mowed within a month, the city will give a citation.
The other new ordinance changes the length of time for removing trash and debris from to seven days from the previous five before the city enforces its code.
Council member Mark Hedges asked if city police could give residents receiving a citation a clear understanding of the ordinance that would avoid any loopholes.
Springer noted in the past, the city has dealt with the issue of trees that sprout up near the foundation of homes. The ordinance has been rewritten to include those plants.
In addition to code enforcement with personal property, Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman said there will be an open meeting at 10 a.m. Friday at the fire station with the mayor and other officials to discuss enforcing code on drug houses in the city.
In other business, council — Janet Powers, Judy Aker, Michele Brewster, Don Gillespie, Kent McClung, Bill Gibson and Hedges:
•Sent a tax abatement request from TLS by Design, 410 S. Bridge St., to the tax abatement committee for its review. The request is on personal and real property of about $380,000 that would save the company more than $19,000. The abatement would help the company add two new jobs while retaining 18.
•Listened to Hedges’s concerns on several issues, including the Sheller-Globe south building at 510 S. Bridge St. The city has been looking for a tenant for the long-vacant industrial site. Geesaman said the best thing to do is have the building demolished because it is not in an industrial area and would require a lot of work.
Hedges also wanted an update on the former book bindery location at 518 S. Wayne St. The mayor said he will hold off on any details of the property until the next meeting.
Hedges requested an update on an amended tax abatement to Carrera Manufacturing Inc. The abatement, made for structural air handling for climate control, was scheduled to be complete last month. Executive director of Jay County Economic Development Corporation Bill Bradley said the last time he was in contact with the business it was on schedule, but was having difficulty hiring new employees. Bradley said there should be a report on the company’s progress by the May meeting.
Another company mentioned was a loan-to-grant agreement from 2010 with Fort Recovery Construction & Equipment, 1001 N. Wayne St., Portland. Hedges said he was following the agreement and the company had not met its terms. Bradley noted there have been communications with the company and the city should be taken but it will be discussed further with city attorney Bill Hinkle.
•Heard from Brewster the bolts on the signs around the play area of Hudson Family Park are rusted. She would like them to be replaced.
•Learned there has been no response from the attorney for Bank of America, which controls the vacant property at 509 W. High St. that is sitting on top of a collapsed sewer line, because the Federal Housing Authority is involved with the property. The city had offered to purchase the property. Geesaman added there is a federal program for the bank to donate the property and get credit for it. The FHA and the bank’s attorney should give an answer by the end of the week about that option, he said.
•Discussed the temporary downtown repairs that included installing fire fencing on the Bailey Building on Main Street to catch any falling debris, cleaning up the broken glass near Tom & Rod’s on Main Street and filling spaces with landscaping gravel where trees were once located along Meridian and Main streets. The mayor said he saw the changes as a positive.