Call to do better
Editor, The Commercial:
The general appearance of any community should make people stand up to take notice of its cleanliness. Are you aware that one abandoned house on a block can reduce property values for other property owners, on that same block, by as much as $1,500?
So many are working hard to attract businesses and people to shop or make Pine Bluff their place to live and raise a family.
Gentle reader, we need ordinances established with zero tolerance for violators. For too long, this community has allowed violators to litter and cause havoc without impunity. Therefore, why not encourage, by way of city ordinance, a sixty-day raze of burned properties, which includes businesses and houses, no exceptions. Stronger measure should be taken in addition to posting a notification.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Many of our neighborhoods and businesses have an abundance of eyesores that stick out like a sore thumb, i.e., tore up parking lots, debris and large items remaining on the curb, lack of shrub maintenance, broken sidewalks covered with vegetation, with no stated resolution in sight. Second, let’s begin to encourage and promote city-wide business cleanups as we do community cleanups, to reduce the “broken window” effect in the city.
In 2021 honor those businesses who take cleanliness seriously with the “Good Neighbor Champion Award.” The mayor and council members have an obligation to us citizens to gently push everyone to become good neighbors and caring citizens. Every business should reinvest in the appearance of their business.
This city council must impress upon property owners to take pride in maintaining their property and not neglect it as a result of being abandoned. Simple measures can impact and reduce crime, create cleaner neighborhoods, and produce a more attractive city. The time has come for our city leaders to offer more ideas and become firm when it comes to maintaining a clean community.
When one takes a broad look at the entire landscape of Pine Bluff, you will quickly realize more needs to be done, not just in downtown but the outer areas in every ward. The city should take the lead by cleaning up every piece of city property.
There are enough inmates housed in the jails and detention centers to clean up streets, sidewalks, ditches. The city has to push forward and create a “We can do a better job” attitude. An attitude of we can and not we can’t. Go Forward Pine Bluff has made a tremendous impact in the area of downtown, and the city council should lay out plans for the improvement of the inner-city and the implementation with a timetable to start.
Communities don’t improve themselves — it takes all of us. We can do better in this city. What say you?
Rev. Jesse C. Turner, executive director,
Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for
Voter Registration Inc.