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Resident urges tougher enforcement on front-yard blight and landlord screening in Douglas Park
Summary
A Douglas Park resident told council that front-yard trash, vehicles and poor landlord oversight have degraded neighborhood conditions and asked for city action to enforce property upkeep and tenant screening.
Norvell Huey, a Douglas Park resident, told Middletown City Council on July 15 that long-standing neighborhood maintenance standards have broken down and asked the city to act. “We got junk, junk, garbage, garbage that's taken over the front yards,” Huey said, urging fines or code enforcement that would compel tenants and landlords to keep properties clean.
Huey described a shift in how residents use yards and a decline in landlord oversight after ownership changes. “Landlords ... spent about, grab a number on the air, $22,000 to get the place livable. And before you can turn around, a new tenant is moving in bringing all their trash,” Huey said, and proposed that the city work with landlords to improve screening and property checks.
Why it matters: speakers framed the issue as a combination of tenant behavior and landlord inattention, and said the result is declining neighborhood quality and safety. Huey asked council to consider fines, code enforcement and partnership with landlords to reduce blight.
Council response and next steps: Council members recorded the comment and the city manager’s office collects citizen comment cards and referred follow-up to staff for action. Huey offered to work with landlords; council requested staff to follow up.
Ending: Huey requested concrete municipal measures — enforcement or landlord engagement — to restore yard maintenance norms in Douglas Park.
