Scottville property owners fixing up homes

 SCOTTVILLE – Ten of the property owners contacted by the City of Scottville to clean up their property have responded to the city’s requests. The rest have not yet responded and may face legal action.

The city administration and city commission have identified about 30 properties that are in violation of the city’s code. Most of the violations involve a house or other structure on the property that is in need of repairs.

The city commission, along with citizens who responded to planning commission surveys a few years ago, has identified blight as one of the number one issues the city needs to address. The attempt to clean up the properties will stabilize and, hopefully, increase property values of those homes and other homes in those areas.

During Monday’s city commission meeting, City Manager Amy Williams said the property owners who have responded have said they plan on making efforts to clean up their properties.

“We are making progress and the ones that have contacted me are moving forward with making improvements, so I think we should be seeing some work starting in the very near future. I know some have already started with scraping their homes to get ready for new paint. I have also been distributing the information on possible programs that may offer financial assistance to the homeowners. I’m hopeful some of them will be eligible for the assistance.”

Williams said letters of notice to comply with the code were sent out by certified mail. “I’m still waiting for seven of them to be delivered and there are still others who have received them that have not yet contacted me. Several of them were just delivered within the past few days and I had asked that they contact me within 10 days. I’m hopeful I will be hearing from a few more very shortly.”

Williams said the home owners who do not respond to the city’s request will then receive a notice from the city’s attorney notifying that the city will take legal action.

City Commissioner David Johnson took photographs of 14 properties whose owners have not yet responded to the city. They are what he considered the homes in the most need of repairs. He suggested the commission identify the five properties in the most need of repairs.

He said commissioners should not only consider the condition of the home but also where it is located.

“When people are driving through Scottville what are they seeing?”

Mayor Dick Macki requested the commissioners rank the five properties by the next regular meeting, later this month.

The properties include:

• 105 W. First St.

• 116 W. Broadway

• 127 W. Broadway

• 128 W. Broadway

• 104 S. Columbia St.

• 205 W. First St.

• 208 ½ E. State St.

• 208 E. State St.

• 229 N. Bean St.

• 303 N. Thomas St.

• 306 E. State St.

• 416 E. State St.

• 502 N. Main St.

• 310 N. Scott St.