Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Neighborhood Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Rome council on South Rome blight and parks access; city outlines cleanup, green-waste and parks master plan
Summary
Residents raised concerns about demolition, derelict properties and limited park amenities in South Rome; city officials detailed a spring cleanup, curbside green-waste rules starting April 7 and a $200,000 ARPA-funded parks master plan that will lead to public meetings.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the March 26 Rome Common Council meeting to press officials about derelict buildings, tear-downs and uneven maintenance in South Rome.
Jamie McCoppin said he submitted a bid to buy a house on North George Street that he said is slated for demolition and asked why the city would demolish a useable home to create a parking lot. Kelly Lubeck of Rich Street urged action on a partially demolished warehouse on Ridge Street and said South Rome neighborhoods felt neglected. Lubeck also proposed a shuttle or bus for children in South Rome to access parks and pools, and raised concerns about a canceled splash-pad project at Grisek (as stated by the speaker).
Councilor Pazio and other officials responded that the city cannot unilaterally tear down privately owned buildings; Pazio said meetings had been scheduled with property owners and “they have been canceled twice by the owners.” He described the process for addressing damaged buildings, including legal steps that take time, and asked residents to provide addresses so staff can follow up.
On parks and youth access, Councilor Praia (chair of Parks, Recreation and Youth Activities Committee) told the council the city has funded a parks master plan with $200,000 taken from ARPA and retained consulting firm Fisher & Associates to study every park in the city. Praia said the study is in an early stage; public meetings and input opportunities will follow and specific projects — including any shuttle or transportation programs — will be considered after the master-plan process.
Public and council members also discussed city cleanup and green-waste procedures. Commissioner Giuliano (DPW) said the annual containerized green-waste curbside program starts April 7 and that residents should set the green-waste container out the day before their regular solid-waste pickup. He recited limits in the notice: a 50-pound weight limit and a six-foot branch length limit, and said the notice describes how to prepare material so DPW crews can collect it safely.
Giuliano said the city will address loose piles on a demand basis via calls to the 311 app or as crews encounter larger accumulations; the DPW has not committed to a recurring bulk loose-pickup program at this time. The city also publicized a spring cleanup event scheduled for Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Rome Stanwix (Oriskany) Trailhead, led by the Rome Waterways and Trails Advocacy Group; organizers asked volunteers to sign up on the group’s Facebook page.
DPW committee reports additionally covered demolition work at St. Peter’s Church (work completed and the site settling), the Northwest Water Improvements project moving forward, a tentative cold-milling street list and a routine estimate of roughly $340,000 spent per ward on road repairs in recent years. Councilors said weather and tornado-related repairs have slowed some projects and that staff are reassessing final road lists.
Councilors asked residents who raised property concerns to provide addresses so staff can pursue follow-up inspections and legal steps where appropriate.
