Blight enforcement should be consistent for everyone

To the Editor:

In regards to the Letter to the Editor of Sept. 12 by David Schaaf, I am commenting on the 40 junkers on display on a piece of property on Cloverland Drive in Ironwood.

I, along with someone else, own property and a house next to this property. I have been after the city going on 12 years to do something about this. I have had Jason Alonen (code enforcer), Dennis Hewitt (building inspector) and Scott Erickson (city manager) over to look at this problem many times.

Most of these junkers have flat tires, have not run and have been there for over 15 years. According to the city’s Blight Ordinance sec.17-67 1b, “It shall be unlawful for any business or commercial property for any reason to store or to permit storage of junk vehicles, abandoned vehicles, or inoperable vehicles for a period of time exceeding three months unless completely enclosed inside a building or behind a screened area from public view.”

Behind the junkers are piles of fill dirt with weeds growing five feet or more on them. When Erickson came to look, he said, “The city does not consider this blight.” I thought any grass or weeds over eight inches in length was considered blight. These weeds are growing and hanging over the property line. Inside these weeds are junk vehicles that can’t be seen until the weeds die. I asked Alonen many times to take pictures and take them to the city commissioners.

So to anyone in the city told to clean up their blight, all you have to do is put piles of fill dirt on your property and let the weeds grow out of it. That will solve your blight problem with the city. If a business owner can get away with it, then everyone else should be able to.

The city has let this business owner get away with this blight for too many years. It’s my opinion the city needs a new city manager and all new city commissioners.

Michael S. Ceccon,

Ironwood