Resident presses council over distillery residue and requests clearer cleaning timeline

David Bower, a Kansas Street resident, told the Greendale City Council on March 11 that staining and residue from nearby distillery operations are damaging homes and asked what the city is doing to address the problem.

Bower described participating in a past city-subsidized cleanup and said the condition of his property had worsened since the last wash. He asked, "What's your response? What's the city's response to that?"

Redevelopment staff and other officials responded that the city had launched a softwash pilot program through Greendale Redevelopment, that staff estimate they washed about 126 houses in the last round, and that funding limits have led staff to tentatively schedule the program on a three-year rotation while evaluating how quickly the residue returns. Officials acknowledged residents' frustration and said the city is exploring additional funding mechanisms, including creating an endowed fund whose earnings could support ongoing work.

City staff told residents they would raise the issue again at the next redevelopment meeting and encouraged residents to attend; staff also described alternative options such as Main Street's curb-appeal grants (applications open April 1) that can reimburse part of power-washing costs. Residents pushed back, saying three years is not frequent enough and asking for clearer timelines and more resources.

The council did not adopt a new enforcement action or a changed cleaning schedule during the meeting. Officials said the subject remains under discussion and that the city faces limited resources for more frequent cleaning.

The transcript records the resident's name and concerns and staff explanations of program funding and scope; it does not record a new vote or formal directive changing the cleaning cadence.