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Residents press Hamlet leaders for regular Spring Street cleaning; volunteer cleanup plan proposed
Summary
Residents told council that Spring Street has gone more than two years without maintenance and urged the city to provide parity with Main Street. A community volunteer and a city volunteer leader proposed a 10-block cleanup plan and discussed a possible ordinance change on front‑yard parking.
A resident urged the Hamlet City Council to schedule regular cleaning and repairs for the Spring Street area, saying sidewalks are raised and the neighborhood is a safety concern and that Main Street receives more frequent maintenance.
The resident (speaker 5) said the Spring Street project is a 10-block initiative intended to combine resident efforts with city maintenance. "We offered to do the 10 blocks, we just need our street cleaned on a regular basis," the resident said, adding that some absentee-property owners have been billed to address privately owned parcels.
Council staff and a speaker who read the city code (speaker 2) cited Hamlet code language noting that "the public works department will clean and repair all streets, sidewalks, and storm drains" when conditions threaten public health, safety or use; the resident pointed to the code to support a higher maintenance standard for the neighborhood.
A separate speaker, Esco (speaker 6), offered a volunteer-driven quarterly cleanup for a corridor of Hamlet Avenue (from Crawford to the area near Axe and Grind), said he contacted Lowe's for tool donations and described coordination with code enforcement and police for compliance and safety. Esco also said he will propose an ordinance amendment to address vehicles parked in front yards and noted staff will review whether such an ordinance change is needed.
City staff agreed to follow up with Public Works director Robert Brown to review records and maintenance schedules. Council members asked that public works and sanitation clarify responsibilities and parity across neighborhoods.
What happens next: staff will follow up with the resident and the public-works director, and the volunteer group plans to coordinate with staff for the proposed April 5 cleanup date; any ordinance change would require council approval.
