[Winona Online Democracy]
Several of the houses I am referring to do have the names of the landlords on the front of the house. If I lived on those blocks, I know I would have called first the landlord and then the city. I walked that way after I posted this morning, and saw beer bottles, fast food containers, etc. along the path (south side of street). I hesitate to call when I don't live in that neighborhood, but perhaps that would be an option. Or, could neighbors be afraid to complain because they fear vandalism from the students? I hope not.
Vicki Englich
On Monday, July 12, 2004, at 12:47 PM, arlene prosen wrote:
Thanks for the super thoughts! We rarely walk our dogs on portions of Grand
Street because of the broken brown glass in
the grass and on the sidewalks. Do you suppose that landlords, absentee or
not, could be required to have their name, address, and telephone number
posted on the front of the rental building? Then, enough calls from
concerned neighbors would encourage the landlords to action...by themselves
or by their tenants. This could be a requirement with the
certification process.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vicki Englich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Online Democracy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Arlene Prosen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 9:22 AM
Subject: [Winona] Queen for a day
page at[Winona Online Democracy]
Arlene, great thoughts. As a person who lives in the central city and
who walks the neighborhoods daily with my dog, I can tell you that the
absentee landlord issue is a real problem. I'd love to see families
take over these homes and renovate them, particularly when there are so
many For Rent signs placed in the lawns. I implore those who are
concerned to walk down Howard St. between Main and Franklin during the
school year; this is a perfect example of so many homes with absentee
landlords who tolerate bad behavior. The trash strewn on the lawns and
sidewalks is the first thing one notices. I have begun to avoid this
street during the school year because I don't want my dog's feet to be
cut by the broken glass on the sidewalks. After a snowfall, sidewalks
of many of the rental houses are not shoveled, and walking on these
surfaces is dangerous. I'm not trying to condemn every landlord, but
families are moving away from the area because the students and
landlords are not held accountable for their actions (or inaction). I
had friends who moved from that street to Knopp Valley because they
couldn't take the noise and the trash any more, and were concerned
about the influence on their children.
The dorms on Franklin have served the community well so far. I hope
that this may be a wake-up call for those landlords who want to earn
something from their investments. We need landlords who will visit
their property weekly, establish a relationship with their tenants, and
hold them accountable for noise and trash--not landlords who just want
to milk the cash cow. If the renters are not expected to shovel the
walks, then landlords must hire someone to do it. There are also a
number of senior citizens in these neighborhoods who need to walk and
they shouldn't be made shut-ins because they are afraid of the ice. We
need landlords who are willing to improve their rental properties, keep
sofas off the porches and lawns, and rent to people who are willing to
pick up after themselves. If there are no consequences for bad behavior
it will continue. I know; I'm a mother.
Regarding storm sewers; as Master Gardeners, Arlene and I have been promoting an "adopt a storm sewer" and rain gardens for several years. It would be great if the city would formally get on board!
Vicki Englich
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