City resident supports enforcing codes for weeds

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

City resident Rick Hartman says he fully supports hiring a property maintenance inspector, a position being considered by city officials.

Sitting with fianc?e Betty Welch and looking out at a trimmed yard full of flowers while eyeing a patch of knee-high weeds located under a tree line nearby, Hartman said when Welch planted flowers in the yard this spring, she got more than blooms.

He implied weeds are contributing to a snake problem, while a neighbor confirmed he killed some snakes in the back yard.

“The man next door has killed two in the back yard,” Hartman said of the problems. “The mosquitoes eat you up out here. But it’s a small parcel of land and it’s not a code violation,” he added of what he has reportedly been told after city officials checked out the complaint.

Hartman, who suffers from the end stages of emphysema, indicated last week’s news that officials were considering hiring someone to take care of such issues was almost ironic. It came just as he had been in discussions about what he says is a problem with high weeds near the McMinnville Housing Authority complex on Spring Street.

Officials raised the issue of hiring a property maintenance inspector during budget discussions earlier this month and had been considering it as either a full time or part time position. In noting the need for such a person last week, city officials said responsibilities have been shifted between departments over the years.

Hartman, who said he doesn’t want to create problems with either the city or the housing authority and just wants the weeds gone, said he does not believe the job of assessing problematic areas should fall solely on the shoulders of codes department supervisors or any of the city’s other supervisors.

He said issues such as weeds and junk are about pride in one’s community.

“If you just ride up and down the streets, this is not a part time job,” he added of his observations about the need for a property maintenance inspector. “This will benefit people in McMinnville. It’s not just for one interest group. It will help the whole community.”

As far as the weeds, housing authority Executive Director Patricia Basham said officials are investigating the exact location of the property line. The area in question had been maintained by neighbors living in a nearby house, but that house is up for sale, she said, adding it may take a legal survey to understand who is responsible for the weeds, which are located underneath a patch of trees.

“We’ll try to get the property line established and get our part taken care of,” she said.