THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080514
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
In the Bayview neighborhood, owners of vacant, blighted property get warning letters - not necessarily from City Hall but from the local civic league.
The letters request owners to correct problems such as tall weeds, broken windows, falling gutters, graffiti and peeling paint. Photographs are included.
This is all part of an effort by the Bayview Civic League to protect the property values and appearance of the neighborhood.
It's also a favorite example of City Manager James B. Oliver Jr., when he talks about the need for citizens to take more responsibility for solving community problems.
``I think it really puts citizenship back into the governance process,'' Oliver said. ``How communities work and should work constantly needs to be revisited, and I think government is only part of that.''
John Roger, president of the 600-member Bayview Civic League, is proud of the effort. Most property owners correct the problems after his group contacts them, he said.
The names of those who don't, he said, are turned over to City Hall for property code enforcement.
On a quarterly basis, a group of residents, called the Area Preservation and Improvement Team, canvasses the neighborhood for potential property code violations and problems with public property, such as broken street signs and sidewalks.
The team writes up the list for a second group of volunteers, who double check. Then the items are sent to city agencies for action.
About 12 Bayview residents participate, mostly on weekends or after coming home from their daytime jobs, Roger said.
``In the two years we've been doing this,'' Roger said,``it's made a marked difference in some categories - trash on the streets, abandoned cars, houses in poor condition.
``We got a couple of those taken down.
``We just look at ourselves as an extra set of eyes for city agencies. It may or may not work for other neighborhoods. But it's working for us.'' by CNB