On Wednesday, December 29, we reached a major milestone in our fight against blight. Crews tore down the 100th blighted house at 3205 Atkins Drive. You can watch the demolition here.
“I can’t thank enough all of the people that have made this happen,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “Our crews have worked tirelessly these past eight months to remove these dangerous structures and clean up our community.”
This milestone comes after Mayor Miller announced a plan on April 14, 2021, to remove 30 blighted houses in 30 days. Crews completed that plan 9 days early and continued to work on other uninhabitable and dilapidated structures, which ranged from houses to commercial buildings. Each structure in this process was selected by the Code Enforcement Department as properties that were either burned or are classified as Vacant/Abandoned/Dilapidated.
“When we tear down each house, we are allowing people to flourish without this tied around their neck. We are investing in the soul of each one of these communities at the street level,” said Mayor Pro Tem Seth Clark. “When I say we, I’m talking about everyone. Every agency and contractor that have had a hand in this.”
“This work is far from done. As we enter 2022, we will continue moving forward together to remove blight from our neighborhoods and create a safer, more beautiful community,” adds Mayor Miller.