As often happens at Council meetings, the biggest story comes from the Visitor Comments portion of the agenda. That was the case at last night’s Grayville City Council meeting as resident Sharon Butler made an appeal for the city to help clean up her neighborhood. “In most towns that you go to, when a house has been busted and they know they’ve made meth in that house, why is it still standing? It’s a danger…the chemicals or whatever they use for it…I’m tired of it. I’m next door to this place. I have breathing problems. Tony [a family member] has
breathing problems. Are we just supposed to sell our place and leave? We don’t wanna do that. I like my house. I like where I’m at. For 10 years now, you guys know, I come up here once or twice a year over that house. It should be condemned.”
The city, for it’s part, and new Mayor Travis Thompson has made a concerted effort to clean up abandoned properties. It has consistently been on the city agenda and progress is being made. To date, more than 30 citations have been issued. Still, it’s been a decade according to Butler that she’s been dealing with the immediate eyesore and potential health hazard next door and additional properties in her neighborhood. It would be easy to opine that City Attorney Jay Walden yelled back, but honestly, he just speaks confidently and loudly all the time, [Walden]: You’re probably coming in here with your anger misplaced at least tonight. Because this is a whole new bunch and we appreciate so much what you’re saying. And there are things that are gonna get done. Now there are some things you’re saying that you’re making a whole bunch of assumptions about cities tearing down places because of meth. I don’t know. My guess is there are a lot of things that have to go into play there. [Butler]: From the news. And you can smell whatever it is in my backyard coming from that house. I can’t even enjoy my backyard. This house is a danger..to me and my family because I live next to it. And another like it next to it…and also two doors down.”
The property on West North is truly crumbling under it’s own weight and has been unmaintained since it’s owner Terrence Smith was sentenced to prison. A tree on the dilapidated property already fell into Butler’s yard when the storms came through more than a week ago. Adding to her concern are two more trees that are visibly rotting as they stand. Walden said to tackle that issue, they’d have to bring in a certified tree expert to override the property owner’s rights. As far as the property itself, Walden offered this. “I’ll say this and I’m not trying to be flippant. Actually, because it’s falling in, from a city standpoint, probably the best thing that’s going on because then if you don’t have just a structure sitting there, you can see through the wall there, it’s going to give us the authority to do more things.”
Earlier in the meeting, the mayor commented a trailer located on Division Street had been taken down, but said the city was working with a handful of other property owners to get those taken down.
Other topics tackled last night include proposed changes to the Liquor Ordinance. The matter ended up being tabled again so that city officials could discuss with the 3 applicable businesses (Chappy’s, Westwood Saloon and Recreation, and Guadalajara) to make sure the changes wouldn’t be burdensome.
The city also set a Public Hearing date to discuss Zoning for the Recreational Cannabis Ordinance that is anticipated to be allowed by Grayville. That date has been set as September 9th, though no time was announced at last night’s meeting.
A final agenda item, an emergency add on due to a grant deadline due on Friday, approves council support for the city to send off a grant request for water line replacement.
City officials also praised utility manager Scott Irvine, his crew and all the townspeople for coming together and working hard in cleanup efforts following the storm.
