Vacant
omes�-
Topic heats up council session
. . 1 I
By Derrle C. Le and t ey expre sed thei r
COn'eS10 elll frustration ith the city's
HIOHLAND PK. - During a' v cant housing.
heated city council meeting Downca t in the face of
Monday, May 7, Highland ' what they see as mounting in
Park citizens expre ed their efficency by the city, block
frustration over the city- in- club members expressed fear
ability to handle the vacant of being sued the owners of the
housing problem. . vacant houses. if they tried to
In a meetina where city d- take the matter in 0 their own
mini trators and council mem- hands. by boarding the bouse
ber were personally held up tbemselves.
accountable for wbat they see Councilman Frank Ross
as deteriorating city service. aid. "1 am .gelling uncomfort-
citizens took full advantage of able bee use more and more
the speaking time allowed people are expressing interest
them during the councils in their neighborhoods but get-
public session. ting less and less response, no
One woman aid she has written replie , and no one to
lived next to a vacant house for talk with."
10 years. Most complaints Director of Community
centered on boarding up and Development Tom Kelley says
tearing down vacant houses. there are more than a thousand
People were concerned with
the crime that is a sociated
with vacant building. fear of
fire' preading to adjacent
home -. and declining property
values.
More than one resident told
of how they have repeatedly
telephoned and written city ad
ministrators about the problem,
and havc' not received any
replies. "
I
MANY CITY BLOCK
club members were present,
vacam houses in the City that
have to be torn down. He said
the city cannot get to them a
oon as possible. because there
are too many. He indic ted
that soon as the City boards
up a house. they are taken
down the next day.
Kelley said the city wa al
located $3 million by the state
for demolishing buildings
during Mayor Blackwell's d
ministration, and there wa
. only $500,000 left. Kelley
said he doe not knowwhat the
$2.5 million was spent on.
THE CITY ALSO has
received a S 1 00.000 arson
grant from the state to tear
down public structures. Kelley
indicated that he is working on
a fire escrow demolition list.
Choir
performs
downtown
0$0 musician
appears
The Choraleers are directed
by Rex Houston.
The Highland Park
Choraleers, whose 82 members
are all Highland Park Com
munity High School students, .
were tcaturcd participants in
the first annual Go pel Youth
Extravaganza at Ford
Auditorium in Detroit Friday.
May 4, at 7 p.m.
Detrou Symphony Or
chestra ba ist Richard Robin
son, an alumnus ·of Highland
Park' Barber School, ap
peared there in a 90-minutc
afternoon visit May 1 to pcr- .
form and talk to students.
I I
He . said 15% of the proceeds
from insurance. He said it cost
the city $4 thou d to
demoli h a single family ome,
and the city i trying 0 stretch
the available money far a
possible.
.' He said it can cost up to
$160,000 to demolish 12 unit
apartment building, because of
the problem of asbestos
removal.
Kelley attributed the delays
in tearing down vacant houses
to the fact that it take the city
485 days to get permission
from the st te to demolish a
building. and then anot er 3
months to get approval from
the courts.
He said the ci ty cannot tear
down private property without
. the approval of the courts.
"The whole constitution of
these United States is solely to
protect property rights. A
Vtan's house is his castle no
matter what condition," said
Kelley.
Other items involved a dis
cus ion on whether the "council
will purchase a computer sys
tern that i $2 thousand more
than. and incompatible with
the system that was purchased
by the city administration.
Council members tabled the
issue for further discussion.
HIGHLAND PARK - J ·
Mayor Martha G. Scott aDd the
City of Highland Park the
73rd annual Michigan Wee
P de S day, May 19, 1990,
beginning 12-00 DOOD. The
parade will take place the
Woodward Avenue busiae
district.
. years parade COJiuDit-
tee i proud to announce
Ronald McDonald and the
BABES Alive! Puppet Stais -
Buttons, Bo , Myth Mary,
. Early Bird, Do ovan Dignity.
RCCO\'eriDg Regie and Rhon
da Rabbit of the NatioDal Coun
cil on Alcoholism d Other
Disorders (NCA/OD) BABES
WORLD Substance Abuse
Education Program, as the
"Grand Marshalls" of the 1990
parde. Each year more than
1500 spectators come out to ob
serve this spectacular display of
bands, floats and other special
attractions.
Other Michigan Week ac
tiviti include the Wade Show
Carnival (M Y 16-20 ..... Senior
Citizens Day (May 22), Govern
ment Day (May 23), Educa
tion/Heritage Day (May 24),
and Youth Day (May 26). For
more inform tion, call 252-
0026.
HfRf SOMfTHINO
RfA URING about
having a connection
with the past-whether it's
going away to the same col leg
where your father met your
mother, or sitting down with
the taste or the same kind
of coffee that melled so
good around the house in
the morning.
Choosing to attend a Black
colleg means a COrT clion
with the past, too. A past
that has created a uniqu
environment that sets no
limits on what an individual
can achieve, and has produ d
40% of Black col graduates.
So when you finally mak the
big move away from home and
into col ge, remember to sti k
with a few of your old family
tra<ftions-Iike the rich taste
of Max II House cotfi e.
General foods, the makers
of Max II House cofti e and
many other family tradition
you grew up with, wants to
remind you that ' always
been there for you ... and we'f1
still with you. All the way.