CLAYTON 鈥 St. 亚洲无码 County economic development officials are working to clean up a notorious dumping site next to Normandy High School in Wellston and ensure that it stays free of debris.
At least 33 of the lots in Wellston鈥檚 Lulu Heights neighborhood are owned by the St. 亚洲无码 County Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, which owns about 150 properties throughout the mostly low-income inner-ring suburb. Officials at the St. 亚洲无码 Economic Development Partnership, which administers the LCRA, are working with Wellston as well as the county police and public works departments to schedule several days of cleanup in mid-April.
In its first meeting since St. 亚洲无码 County Executive Sam Page replaced the board in January, the county LCRA board on Wednesday also approved contracts with three firms to maintain and remove debris from LCRA-owned lots in Wellston.
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New LCRA board member Samuel Shannon, also a Wellston city councilman, said past cleanups haven鈥檛 lasted in Lulu Heights because the area 鈥渋s not patrolled as it should be.鈥
鈥淢y fear is once it鈥檚 cleaned up, come back two to three months later, it鈥檒l be in the same condition,鈥 he said.
Economic Partnership official Bill Budde, who oversees LCRA鈥檚 property holdings, said he is working with Wellston Mayor Nate Griffin on a tentative plan to block access to Lulu Heights from North Market Street, leaving St. Charles Rock Road as the only way in and out. St. 亚洲无码 County has tentatively agreed to donate a camera to LCRA so it can monitor that entrance into the neighborhood, Budde said, and identify license numbers of trucks that enter with debris and leave without it.
LCRA is also working to put concrete barriers on LCRA-owned vacant lots, which Budde said should 鈥渄efinitely curb the ability to do massive dumping. We are trying to address the long-term solution.鈥
Shannon also asked how the LCRA would make sure its contractors actually maintain properties in the city, noting that in the past, Wellston Public Works employees have had to cut grass behind the LCRA contractors 鈥渂ecause they didn鈥檛 do a good job of taking care of the lots.鈥
Budde said the new contracts include requirements to take pictures to document the condition of the lots before and after maintenance crews work on them, and Partnership officials said they will be more vigilant enforcing those provisions. The LCRA hired Graves Associates and Development Group LLC, Before & After Outdoor LLC and TRC Outdoor LC for the work. The firms will be paid up to $19,669, $11,854 and $23,477, respectively, under one-year contracts, with two options for renewal.
鈥淎s we鈥檙e looking to try and improve everything we do, enforcement is the key,鈥 said Partnership CEO Rodney Crim.