Why doesn’t Havre or Hill County try to pass an ordinance to put some teeth into trying to clean the town up? There are numerous abandoned properties such as this one over near City Hall that are not only an eyesore but also pose safety hazards to our citizens. This specific property has been vacant for years but yet no one seems to care that it stands in this state of disrepair. Where is our County Sanitarian? Why has he ignored this property all these years?
Cascade County is implementing enforcement of an ordinance that was made to encourage improvement of properties in the county that are unsightly and filled with excessive amounts of junk as reported in this KFBB newscast. Why don’t our city or county officials try to follow suit? Since it is an election year we would love to hear from the county candidates about what they think about following Cascade County’s lead. Or instead of a certain city council member having to yell out to the audience that “WE GOVERN YOU!” each meeting he should actually do some governing and look into advancing an ordinance to do something about the ongoing messes about town.
I completely agree.
ReplyDeletethe taxes on this property are probably more than what the whole place is worth if they are paid ??
ReplyDeletePersonally i don't think any government agency should be able to dictate to a property owner what he does with his own property but in the case pictured I do know that this apartment building has been this way for over a decade so again the "We govern you" crowd should step in and do something if they can ever get time off from worrying about the heinous crime of drinking at the horseshoe pits
ReplyDeletePeople that are not responsible on thier own is what causes government to expand their authority in the first place
Why hasn't our stop all progress at all costs county sanitation expert let this property go for so long?
I don't think it is just the abandoned and unkempt properties that need to be maintained. Just a few weeks ago there was a letter to the editor where a citizen expressed concern over there being empty vodka bottles on playground equipment in a park and how there was graffiti and inappropriate language carved into it as well.
ReplyDeleteI think all of Havre could use some clean up, and starting with the rundown buildings and falling apart properties would be a nice start. I have seen what beautification projects have done to other communities, and Havre could really benefit from it
The reason that nothing has ever been done about this dumpy property even after all these years could be because our Hill County Sanitation dude, Clay Vincent, is best buddies with the guy that owns this dump. Get yourself cross ways with good old Clay and see how much grace period he allows you.
ReplyDeleteDifferent strokes for different folks is the Hill County hillbilly way.
I'm with Havre Hillbilly, just look at Benders Body Shop or junk pile Clay is their buddy also. That place should have had a fence around it years ago. If I was a canadian coming to Havre to shop and spend money and saw that mess I would turn around and go home. It's who you know in Havre that determines what you can do or not have to do in this case.
ReplyDeleteThe apartment building is more than just an eyesore. I have wondered for years why it's still standing... as far as Bender's goes, he has done a lot of work making the appearance better and cleaning things up. It's a towing and salvage yard, I'd like to know how you're supposed to make that pretty????
ReplyDeleteThe half block that this property lies on could be completely taken down. Most of the homes or apartments need some sort of repair. I think this would be a great place for the habitat for humanity homes. Putting new homes in an area that has been classified as an undesirable part of town would benefit everyone.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that someone pointed out that the guy that owns this property is good friends with our local Hill County Sanitation person, Clay Vincent. Clay has been also instrumental in getting the new road for the garbage trucks funded east of Havre that necessitated buying a piece of property that this same guy that owns this dilapidated dump bought at a foreclosure sale and is now of course quite valuable.
ReplyDeleteEven if Clay does fight everyone else that wants to do something positive for Havre at least he takes care of his buddies or looks the other way as the case may be.
When compared to other sanitarians in the state, he is the laziest of them all. Just look at the restaurants in this town. Some are lucky to be "inspected" once a year. Same goes for hotels and trailer courts in this town. Instead he spends his time flirting with certain people at the courthouse. He always talks about how he wants to "save money" on the new landfill, but instead of upgrading equipment or vehicles, he runs them until they are not worth anything.
ReplyDeleteI would like it if we all set up a clean up Havre day here in town. Lets get it goin. Set it up for a weekend at the end of may or in june. Can we get it in the paper? Anyone want to help or point me in the right direction to get started? I live just a couple blocks from that old apt building and all the streets around here are discusting. Lets stop talking about it and do something.
ReplyDeleteShawn--we do, it is called, ironically enough, "Havre Pride Clean-Up!" 50-60 volunteers each year help during this cleanup time organized by the Chamber of Commerce. It was two weeks ago. If only more people like you wanted to volunteer, we could do even more and get more of the town cleaned up. Call the Chamber and set it up.
ReplyDeletewell im going to see what i can do. The Havre pride cleanup doesnt cut it i dont think. We need to be more specific in the areas we clean. I dont think the east end gets much help in that area. Me and a buddie cleaned up one city block and collected over a dozen bags of garbage. Thats awfull. We need the town to help not 50 people. Great idea. Just not executed all that well.
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