By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green Police Division staff will soon be responding to complaints about nuisances such as litter, unmowed lawns, and unsafe housing situations.
City Council adopted an ordinance last week intended to provide faster responses to neighborhood nuisances.
“I’m really happy we got to this point with creativity between the city and police,” Council President Mike Aspacher said.
Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter also shared with council new flyers that will be made available to people renting homes in the city. One focuses on landlord-tenant relations, explaining the responsibilities of each. That brochure is a joint effort between the city and BGSU Student Legal Services.
The other flyer focuses on housing code violations, and is a joint effort between the city and the Wood County Health Department.
“This is something we’ve been talking about for some time,” Aspacher said.
“I think that all of these things combined are really going to make a difference,” he said.
“For years we have heard calls from residents,” wanting faster responses to their complaints, Aspacher said. “I think it is a significant development. We should really see some progress in our neighborhood conditions.”
The ordinance is intended to speed up the enforcement of various nuisance issues, such as grass mowing, sidewalk snow clearing, garbage removal, and cars parked on lawns. The change would insure that complaints do not get missed.
Police Chief Tony Hetrick said he expected his staff to take over the non-zoning code issues sometime after October this year.
The change calls for the two parking technicians and one animal control officer with the police division to continue handling those jobs, but also perform civil code enforcement.
“I think it’s a great first step,” said council member Mark Hollenbaugh. He was pleased the ordinance will create a single point of contact at the police division for residents reporting neighborhood nuisances.
“This will improve communication as well,” Hollenbaugh said.
In other business, Mayor Dick Edwards swore in two firefighters being promoted in the Bowling Green Fire Division. Ronnie Closson and Nathan Espinoza were both sworn in as lieutenants, as their families and fellow firefighters looked on.
Also at the meeting, Edwards talked about the seemingly endless challenges faced in the city this year – with construction and weather problems.
“We all knew 2019 was going to be a rough year,” the mayor said, expressing great concern for downtown businesses struggling with the ongoing construction issues.
“We see signs of progress, but it is testing all of our patience,” he said.
Edwards offered special thanks to the city public works and electric division employees for their efforts to clean up storm debris in streets and to get the power back on after the storm that hit Bowling Green on July 2.
In other business:
- Tretter reported that Sustainability Coordinator Amanda Gamby was recently selected for a national award on solid waste efforts.
- Public Works Director Brian Craft reported that the roundabout construction on East Wooster Street at Interstate 75 is nearing completion. “I think people will be really happy when they come back” for the fall semester, he said.
- Council tabled a zoning change for the new senior center at 140 S. Grove St., until the conclusion of a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 5.
