The Never-Ending Blight Next Door

The saga of blight at 76 Oak Street continues...

Two weeks ago, we saw a man walk to the back of the property next door. He looked at the mess with dismay. The property owner has hired him to be the property manager. In addition to cleaning up the yard, he has to evict the third floor tenant.

While I'm glad that the owner has hired someone to manage the property, I'm impatient in waiting for results. So far, the only change is that the mess has gotten worse. Most noticeable was the addition of a dozen or so oranges to the pile a few days after the property manager stopped by, as well as less visible garbage.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Legislature is considering toughening the laws on blight, raising the fines from "not less than ten or more than one hundred dollars for each day" to

"(I) For the period from the first day to the thirtieth day during which such violation exists, one hundred dollars for each day that such violation continues; (II) for the period from the thirty-first day to the sixtieth day during which such violation exists, two hundred fifty dollars for each day that such violation continues; and (III) for the period from the sixty-first day to the day the violation is corrected, five hundred dollars for each day that such violation continues..."

The proposed bill is online at www.cga.ct.gov/2012/TOB/H/2012HB-05319-R00-HB.htm