Overgrown grass and trash outside a building on a busy Jackson street send a message that nobody cares, according to one Jackson resident.
The Ridgewood Park Neighborhood Association has worked for two years to get the city of Jackson to address the unkept appearance at the former Fortune Asian Market and Restaurant at 1159 E. County Line Road, but without success, said Ken Wilson, president of the association.
“This location has been very challenging to get the issues addressed,” Wilson said. “The grass is too high. There’s lots of debris and trash.”
The 311 Action Line is the current point of contact for all non-emergency city of Jackson service requests such as issues with abandoned or neglected property.
Citizens trying to clean up problem spots could find a program that will soon launch helpful.
In the works is a program that will let individuals submit online the locations of neglected property, said Casey Creasey, executive director of the Greater Belhaven Foundation. She learned about the program from Jordan Rae Hillman, who directs Planning and Zoning for the city.
The program would provide a tracking number to go with each submission and give updates along the way as issues are addressed.
“Jordan (Hillman) is very optimistic that this new online data base is going to get them moving quickly when it comes to code violations and will keep people informed of what’s happening,” Creasey said.
It takes persistence to make a difference when it comes to getting neglected property cleaned up, she said.
In Belhaven, unkept property is often due to out-of-state owners, she said.
“I’ve tracked down several owners, asked them if they can hire someone to come clean up their lots,” Creasey said, noting that she doesn’t always get a response.
What helps, Creasey said, is having several residents, who are vigilant and will often report a trouble spot to the city. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” she said.
Wilson, his wife and daughter have taken it on themselves to pick up trash outside the former market and restaurant.
Wilson, representing the neighborhood association, has also complained to Jackson city council member Ashby Foote of Ward 1 and to the city’s community improvement division about the property.
“We haven’t gotten anywhere on it,” he said. “We’re hopeful something will happen soon. It’s an eyesore. We’re coming up on the summer and there will be more foot traffic there.”
Foote said he communicated with Hillman about how to get the owners of the former market and restaurant to clean it up, but he hasn’t heard back.
“We have to get the people who are the owners of these commercial buildings to clean them up so the area doesn’t degrade,” he said, applauding the efforts of the neighborhood association but noting the property owner needs to be held responsible.
JTRAN has a bus stop in front of the former market and restaurant and overturned shopping carts from the nearby Ross Dress for Less and T.J. Maxx often end up there as makeshift seating, Wilson said. A bench and a trash can would be helpful there, he said.
East County Line Road has lost retailers, some because national chains closed and others for other reasons, but Wilson believes the overall appearance of the area is important.
“We need to protect the businesses in that area and entice other businesses to come,” he said. “We’ve lost businesses in that area…Academy Sports, Best Buy and others. We’re losing Bed Bath & Beyond.”
Bop’s Frozen Custard, which is near the former Asian Market and Restaurant, sets a good example and keeps its location manicured, Wilson said. The Chick-fil-A across the street is also well kept.
The former Walgreens location at and the former Virginia College location on Ridgewood Road have also been of concern to the surrounding neighbors because of trash accumulations.
The Ridgewood Park Neighborhood Association has begun an adopt-a-street program that seeks residents, who agree to pick up trash on a street of their choice at least once a month, Wilson said. “We’ve got about 15 streets that have been adopted,” he said.
Most Saturdays when the weather allows, some residents of Ridgewood Park spend time collecting trash in the neighborhood, he said.
“In areas with lots of traffic, we get out early in the morning,” he said.
