"More than 30 volunteers participated in BPN's Clean & Green Volunteer Neighborhood Spring Clean-up on Saturday, May 22. Thanks to the good turnout, we were able to clean up a great deal of the neighborhood, including the abandoned Kentucky Fried Chicken lot at Buena and Broadway, which took the collective efforts of the entire group to tackle. After all the hard work was done, the group kicked back and enjoyed some well earned pizza and drinks."
Check out more photos on Flickr of BPN in action.
I'm still waiting to see those pictures of the ONE, Couraj, and aldermanic staff Clean and Green efforts.
ReplyDeleteGreat job everyone. These folks were putting words into action.
ReplyDeleteHere's a quick observation about the photo. Don Nowotny is the ward superintendent. Isn't it his job to notify the property owner of the old KFC that this needed to be cleaned up? Don was at this event. Did he say anything about it?
You guys need a "Like" button.
ReplyDeleteJohn...
ReplyDeleteYes, Don did speak to the issue. Essentially it's a blood from a stone situation. The property is in forclosure; there's no money for upkeep; there's no money for fines. I would imagine the LLP was set up well enough to insulate the principals from any fiduciary liability.
This was a huge step backwards for the former KFC property. Kudos to the neighbors who came out on that cold and damp Saturday morning to clean their neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteThe 46th Ward Streets and Sanitation Dept should be issuing fines to the owner(s) of the property for not keeping it clean. That's it. That is their job. The financial situation of the owners has nothing to do with whether or not a ticket or fine should be issued.
It is up to a judge and a court of law to make decisions about what to do about foreclosed or abandoned properties, not Streets and San. If enough 311 calls come in about the unsanitary conditions of this property, eventually someone from the city will come out and take a look at it and determine if more stringent legal steps need to be taken. This is one of the ways we get buildings into Housing Court. If they come out and the property doesn't look too decrepit because it has recently been cleaned, it tends to fall off their radar.
I hate the way this property looks. It's terrible. As much as I want to have a clean neighborhood, I wish the proper channels could be followed and we could get a resolution.
Double edged sword..neighbors voluntarily keep a property looking nice because its an eyesore, negligent property owners get free labor and upkeep, city ignores it. I have fallen off calling 311 about this property, but now I will start calling once the forest of weeds begins to grow again, and hobo sleepovers happen in the former drive through area.
ReplyDelete