Earle making progress on tear-down of dilapidated homes

Earle making progress on tear-down of dilapidated homes

City looking to remove nuisance structures, debris from blighted properties

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Earle is making progress on its efforts to clean up the city by tearing down blighted and abandoned homes.

City Councilman Bobby Luckett, who also serves as the city building inspector, recently gave the council an update on his efforts to make property owners clean up their property.

“We’ve had some encouraging news,” Luckett said.

The city recently tore down properties at 907 Alabama Street and another blighted property in the 700 block of Alabama, and also got permission to tear down an old funeral home on the corner of Arkansas and Lee Streets. Luckett said he is also pressing to get two property owners in a residential subdivision to clean up their property to comply with city ordinances.

“I sent them letters advising them that they need to clean the property up,” Luckett said. “If they don’t do so we will take action against them.”

One of those properties belongs to a resident who owns a trucking company and has numerous inoperable trucks on the property. The city has been trying to get them removed for at least the past year.

“We have brought him to the council before,” Luckett said. “I know one time that he stood up here and said he would get rid of the trucks. And here we are a year later. They have had more than enough time. If he doesn’t clean it up, then he will be brought to court.”

Luckett said the owner of a house on 7th Street which burned has also agreed to do something to clean up the property.

“They live in Indiana,” Luckett said. “She said she is willing to clean it up. She is going to need some documentation sent to her and they will send a check to get it done. I told her I would get back with her.”

Luckett informed the council that he will report back to them with another list of blighted homes that need to be cleaned up at the December meeting.

Earle Mayor Sherman Smith has made cleaning up the city a top priority of his administration.

“We are trying to do three to five a month,” Luckett said. “We are waiting on responses from others. If we don’t get responses we will take legal action. The mayor has really been on us. So we will get this done.”

Councilwoman Jimmie Barham said she is pleased to see progress being made to get rid of blight in Earle.

“Thank you, Mr. Luckett,” Barham said. “That’s great.”

By Mark Randall