With complaints continuing about blighted properties in the city, the Eupora Board of Aldermen has directed the mayor to appoint a committee to actively address the problem. The directive came during the board's Dec. 7 meeting after it heard from Bruce Walters, the Eupora Main Street Association’s Cleanup Committee chair, and others. Walters told aldermen he had received complaints about four properties in the city that he said need attention: the Doug Cunningham property at 61 N. Allen, the Marvin Hendrix property at 721 S. Dunn, and Ford’s Body Shop and Shaw’s Towing Services, both on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Cathy Embry, Beautification Committee co-chair, also asked about the Jake’s Recycling lot on East Roane, which was only partially cleaned up after repeated promises to do so. She suggested the town finish cleaning it up and apply the cost to the owner’s taxes. “Until you start hitting them in the pocketbook (by fining property owners for not cleaning up), you’re just spinning your wheels,” Walters said. Magnolia Heights resident Jim Brown, as he has repeatedly at previous meetings, also complained about the apparent lack of enforcement of the city’s blight prevention ordinance. “Places like Starkville and Oxford don’t allow properties to get into disrepair,” he said. “We’ve got ordinances but do we have the will (to enforce them)?” Mayor Lamar Dumas and new City Attorney Joey Hood, in response, discussed the due process rights and legal process involved before the city can clean up private properties or demolish dilapidated houses. Hood said he would review related city ordinances and indicated the Legislature is looking into ways of helping municipalities deal with blighted properties. Hugh Gibson (Ward 3) then made a motion for the mayor to appoint a committee to start meeting the first of the year “and put together a plan of action … and properly identify what we need to do to speed up the process of cleaning up the city … to get something in action.” Jerry Gary (at-large) seconded his motion, which was approved. Gibson asked that the committee include at least two aldermen, Dumas, Hood and at least three city residents. Other Updates The board also heard compliments about city officials during other updates from the Main Street Association. Lyn Blaylock, president and events committee chair, thanked Street Superintendent Will Gary for getting the city Christmas tree ready at the Depot Park and Dumas for coming to speak at the Merry and Bright Tree Lighting on Dec. 2. Blaylock also discussed plans to purchase benches for Main Street. She said businesses elsewhere in Eupora will also have the opportunity to participate in the project. “We think it will help to beautify the city,” she said. Also, Embry said additional planters for the downtown area have arrived and are in storage until they will be set out later.
