Not Good Enough

[Peggy Gurney]

Most of us in the Crandall Park North neighborhood don't wait for the city, or YNDC, to do any cutting. We have very few vacant properties in our neighborhood,. but the few we do have, the next door neighbors have taken on the task of cutting them. We, as a group, do the weed whacking and hedge trimming.

Our island in the center of our neighborhood belongs to the city, and the parks dept is tasked with grass cutting, but they don't have to.
We cut the grass, weed whack. have landscaped the 3 corners (it's a triangle), and take care of it.

[AllanY2525]

I would like to see more tree planting on these vacant lots... get enough trees growing on a vacant
lot and nature takes over -  the tall grass and weeds problem diminishes.

[Towntalk]

On Elm Street there is a very large lot that once held three homes, and after they were demolished the city never once mowed the grass ... not once ... and why? Oh there indeed was a reason why, a very good reason. One of the home owners not only mowed his own lawn but he also adopted the vacent land and keeps ot mowed on his own and it looks super great.

[sfc_oliver]

There is a vacant lot next door to me where they tore down a house that was deserted and run down.

Normally the Village sends out a tractor and a guy with a weed wacker about once a month. This year they've only sent the weed wacker once...

Mainly because I've been cutting the lot every time I cut my own.....

[jay]

I would be in favor of not cutting the entire vacant lot.  Just do a really good job of cutting the tree lawn, six to ten feet back from the sidewalk, and trim around any poles and trees up front.

[AllanY2525]

Great to know that, Towntalk...if more people would do this everywhere in the
city things would look even better.

[Towntalk]

FYI Allan. I can't speak for the 4th or 5th wards but here in the 7th the various neighborhood groups DO get out and take care of their neighborhoods and don't go crawling to City Hall for money so there!
Also the Crandall Park Neighborhood group run by our Peggy does a super job in their neighborhood.
The problem is that we don't come here every day tooting our horns looking for praise from people who really couldn't care less. We're not out looking for praise from anyone. And our neighborhoods are just as nice as they can be.

[AllanY2525]

I'd be happy the city is cutting the empty lots at all.  Rick's point is correct
and its really NOT the city's job to be cutting lots it doesn't own.  It could
what sparse resources it has more effectively if it didn't cut so many of
these lots with city employees who could be doing other projects, like
fixing the city's crumbling infrastructure.

I DO agree that cutting corner lots is a traffic safety thing, however.  Drivers
need to see who's coming when approaching an intersection.  It would help
if more people would "adopt" empty lots next door, a few doors down the
street, etc in their own neighborhoods.

[Towntalk]

Don't get your BVD's in a twist my brother ... we sympathise with you ... but the park's our bag just as your museum is yours.

[Rick Rowlands]

Oh for crying out loud.  Is there no end to the demands of people?  Its never good enough is it?  Next you'll be upset that the city won't plant flowers in the lot! 

If it bothers you, get a weedwacker and cut them yourselves!  Stop complaining and take some action!  Follow the lead of Peggy up here on the east side who took over a vacant lot and turned it into a beautifully landscaped area.  She didn't bitch.  She didn't complain.  She TOOK ACTION!  If just a few of you perpetual complainers would just do something useful in this city then maybe with everyone working separately, together it would result in a much improved place to live. 

But nooooooooooooooo,  lets just pile more onto an already overburdened city government and continue to complain. You are the embodiment of the piss poor attitude of Youngstown. 

[Towntalk]

I don't have to worry about such things as we have a man whose job it is to take care of all the maintenance and he does a great job.

[AllanY2525]

Probably still looks better than 5 feet of weeds.

[sfc_oliver]

Lowellville St department sends out a guy with a weed wacker...

[Towntalk]

   I agree with you my brother ... that has always been my gripe until a friend pointed out to me that the size of the mower coupled with the tractor prevent them from being landscapers.

[jay]

The city crews mow vacant lots.  They recently cut the lot at the corner of N. Hazelwood and Connecticut.  The problem is that the city crews do not trim.  High grass and weeds are still left around poles and other objects on the lot. 

It looks like a mess.