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Luna Pier residents press council on delayed blight ordinance and enforcement
Summary
Residents urged the Luna Pier City Council to act on a rewritten one-page blight ordinance and step up enforcement of dilapidated properties and litter; councilmembers said the ordinance is awaiting submission from the Planning Commission and suggested broader ordinance review.
Mayor James Gardner opened the City of Luna Pier council meeting Sept. 26 and heard several residents press for stronger action on property blight and litter.
Marilyn Foster, a resident, said a Planning Commission meeting was canceled for lack of quorum and asked why a one-page blight ordinance drafted by a staff member has not been forwarded to the mayor. Marc Donnelly, the councilmember who said he rewrote the ordinance into a single-page document, asked why the city attorney has not returned it. Mayor James Gardner said he had received only a proposed change in violation fees and was still waiting for the Planning Commission to send the one-page ordinance to him.
Multiple residents described on-the-ground problems. Jesse Griffin said Dutch Touch and Green Labs want to replace benches at Water Tower Park but painting and volunteer work are difficult to schedule on weekends because of park rentals; Diana Szkatulski agreed to coordinate weekday painting. Resident Sal Seragusa said his boat, parked on his property, was ticketed for expired tags as a blight offense and raised concerns about litter (including beer cans and diapers) and parking near the beach; councilmembers directed him to discuss the boat ticketing with the Chief of Police. Trilby Krumn urged more active building inspection and enforcement for houses that are “falling down.”
Councilmember Amanda Neiding acknowledged community frustration and said blight needs to be addressed; Councilmember Dawn Gramza recommended a comprehensive review and update of city ordinances to resolve inconsistencies. Residents and councilmembers discussed hiring a Blight Officer as one of several possible steps.
The council did not adopt a new ordinance at the meeting; council members said the rewritten one-page ordinance remains with the Planning Commission or the city attorney and that further steps will depend on that process. For now, only routine enforcement on simpler violations is being pursued, according to comments during the meeting.
The meeting also included routine business and other community updates; the council adjourned at 7:53 p.m.
