Howard, A Community with Pride?

[T. Sackett]

    As a child, we remembered Howard as being a clean looking small town where most folks kept their homes and property neat and clean.  What has happened?  Driving around town today, we seen so many old and delapidated (not spelled right) that would look much better if they were torn or burnt down.  Don't people care about the appearance of their home or property? To those folks who may be visiting the town, it doesn't leave a very good impression. Some people's yards are really an eyesore.  But on the other hand we seen some really nice homes and yards..........now those folks need to be commended on keeping things "spruced up."
     How about it Howard?  Is anyone willing to "step up to the plate" and start a clean up on some of those eyesores?

[hhjacobs]

  It is a big problem. The people who own most of the property that is a ugly site, don't live in Howard and don't have to look at it all the time.  The city at one time tried to get a grant to tear them down,but I think it failed. If you have a good idea on how  to correct this problem. Please post on here and talk to city council about it.             

[MarineMom]

I would like to catch the person who is tossing beer cans onto the corner of Wabash and Michigan and have them do community service cleaning up the mess they are making and stick them with a littering fine $100.00 for each can would put a nice sum of money into the community chest 

[T. Sackett]

     Since I do not live in the area, it wouldn't be convenient for me to talk to the city council, so I will post my suggestion on the forum.  I do not know if the city has any ordinance that pertains to nuisance property or not, but that would be the starting point. After passing the ordinance, send a written notification to the property owners giving them a specified time to correct the problem(s), and if that fails, the city should go in and make the necessary improvements/clean up and then add the charges/fees to the landowners owners property taxes.  If the landowner then refuses to pay that, then the property is seized for back taxes.

That seems to work in other communties, why wouldn't it work for Howard?

[Marcia Moore]

What used to be the Heritage House is quite an eyesore.  Why has it not been cleaned up yet?  Is there not a time limit?

[Tobina+1]

A little less talk; a lot more action. 
We've had this discussion on the Forum before, and it is clearly on everyone's minds.  One thing that was suggested... DO something about it!
Volunteer with the Lion's Club to help clean up those run-down homes.  They worked on at least 2 properties last spring/summer, and I hope they plan to do more.
Help your neighbor (elderly, low-income, careless).
Make your own yard/property an example.
Put a recycle barrel on the corner of Wabash and Michigan; write BEER CANS on the outside.  Maybe someone will get the hint.    I've even been tempted to do that out here in the country!  You can't believe the amount of trash, bottles, and cans I see in the ditches.  Just because they're dirt roads, doesn't mean that you can throw your trash on them!

[Ole Granny]

Good Idea on the barrel.  Burden, at one time and may still have, a caged area on the highway near the down town area for cans.  Think they were trying for a swimming pool. 

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I am feel that I am bad about this too.  I feel that my place does not always look good.  I need to get rid of an old chair that has been on my deck for about a year I think.  I am going to work on getting that moved off.  But I do want to tell you that we have gotten letter, or calls about our little fenced in area by my daycare in the spring.  They told us to mow it or something.  We did that right away, and then we put the horses there.  I don't really like them being there, because I think that makes it look worse, but my husband did that.  So I am not sure why these other people don't get letters from the city, too.  We try to keep up with our yards in town and the ones in the country too.  I worry about what mine looks lilke, not just because I have a business at mine, but because it also says alot about a person.  And you are right, most of the people don't live in town and they are the house or properties that look the worse.

About the cans, not sure if that would work either.  But we have a pasture that has a low water bridge by it and the kids party there in the spring and summer.  Whenever we notice that there has been a party there, the girls go and pick up cans.  We recycle them for the money.  They girls have even found money out there at times.  I guess we try to help keep the country clean also.  When the weather is nice, I walk and try to pick up cans that I see too. 

I have to comment on the Lions Club and there projects in town.  They look wonderful.  They did a very nice job on the properties that they have worked on.  I don't think that people understand the amount of time and effect that it takes to get people envolved in these types of project.I know the Flinthill Boosters 4-H Club painted the fence for the little house across the street from the old heritage house.  Then some kids tore it down.  My daughter was very upset about that.  She couldn't understand how people could do this. 

I also know that my mother in law owns a property in town, too.  When my brother in law llived there, the property across the street was and still is an eyesore, but he did work a little on trying to clean it up.  I need to be better about that too. 

I guess we all need to try and pitch in to help clean the community up.  If any one has any suggestions of properties that the 4-H could possibly clean up, or older people that need help, maybe, depending on the property, the 4-H club could help clean it up in the spring.  We like to give back to the community, because they give so much to our youth and our clubs.  Just let me know and I will work and making that happen.

[Mom70x7]

.I know the Flinthill Boosters 4-H Club painted the fence for the little house across the street from the old heritage house.  Then some kids tore it down.  My daughter was very upset about that. 

The Howard Area Lions are the ones that repaired and repainted the fence.

There will be a spring clean-up day - in April I think - and the Lions will help the City of Howard haul things off. Once they announce the date, you can usually call the city and get your name on a list for the Lions to help.

They (the Lions) haven't been working on properties so much because they were starting to get charged to take the trash to the dump.  I think when they started (and I'm not completely sure on this) the dumping fees were waived, since the time was being donated. I don't know when and how the decision was made to start charging the Lions the fees.

The Leos helped on a couple of their cleaning projects. The Leos are Junior and Senior High school students associated with the Lions.

I know when we first moved to town, we got a letter for leaving our polycart in the front yard all week long, instead of keeping it the back and moving it around the one day a week. Now some people leave them out by the road all week long.

[Diane Amberg]

How about something on Earth Day, April 22? We do a pick up then and another later in the spring but before it gets hot.