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Resident urges council to address downtown blight near Bertram Hardware
Summary
Paul Norris, a resident, asked the council to use code enforcement or ordinance powers to address an unsightly TDS dumpster and a salvage yard near Bertram Hardware ahead of festivals and increasing visitor traffic.
Paul Norris, a Bertram resident speaking during public comment, urged the council to address what he described as persistent blight near Bertram Hardware, including "some really junky stuff right before you get to the hardware store, Bertram Hardware" and a long‑standing TDS dumpster that he said has been in place for five years.
Norris said the town has improved over the past decades and asked the council to use whatever municipal authority it has "to get these property owners to spiff up their property so that it looked nicer when all these… tourists come here for these different events." He named SEFCO as a company he believed may have purchased one nearby lot about 10 years ago but said he had not confirmed ownership by pulling plat maps.
Mayor Dickinson and other council members responded that a new code enforcement officer started Monday and that the city would examine the specific dumpster and adjacent properties; council members also noted that some properties (the salvage yard) lie outside city limits and will require county involvement. The council did not take immediate formal action beyond the staff follow‑up noted during the meeting.
Clarifying details: Norris asked the council to investigate two commercial parcels and one long‑standing dumpster; he characterized the issue as a matter of commercial property upkeep rather than homeowner inability.
