[StBernard] St. Bernard tackles lawns that have gone wild

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard tackles lawns that have gone wild
Parish councilman proposes sending mowers, then a bill Monday, August 20,
2007By Bob Warren
Spurred by complaints about overgrown yards at vacant homes and businesses,
St. Bernard Parish officials this week will discuss a parishwide
lawn-cutting sweep. 

Parish Councilman Craig Taffaro Jr., who is pushing the proposal, said the
measure calls for the parish to handle the first cutting. Then, it would try
to "partner" with residents and homeowners groups to help maintain the
lawns. 

Taffaro said he understands it's a lot to ask of those who have returned. 

 
"I agree with them wholeheartedly: I shouldn't have to cut the grass behind
me. I shouldn't have to cut the grass next to me," he said. 

But Taffaro and other parish officials say the parish cannot afford to
maintain all the lawns on a routine basis. Taffaro said he would ask parish
government to allocate up to $150,000 for the grass-cutting sweep. 

He said he broached the idea to a council committee last week and thinks he
has the support to get the program approved. The full St. Bernard Parish
Council will discuss the proposal Tuesday. 

Councilwoman Judy Hoffmeister said she will support anything that will help
clean up the parish. 

"The people that are here, we have to protect their quality of life," she
said. 

After Hurricane Katrina swamped St. Bernard Parish, the council adopted a
law requiring property owners to gut, secure and maintain their property.
But council members and parish residents complain that blighted homes and
businesses still dot the landscape. 

"I get calls all the time," Hoffmeister said. 

Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez said crews last week began
attacking another blight issue: clearing the growing piles of illegally
dumped construction debris. 

"The problem is, it's not just grass," Rodriguez said. "You have debris you
have to get out before you can do anything. It's going to be very, very
expensive." 

Taffaro said property owners would still be responsible for any costs the
parish incurs maintaining their yards. The parish will bill property owners
for any yard work it undertakes and perhaps recoup some of the money it
spends on the program. 

For now, Taffaro said, his proposal will not target derelict properties
owned by the Road Home Corp., the government-created depository for
properties of Road Home grant recipients who opt to sell to the state. The
Road Home Corp. owns several hundred properties in St. Bernard Parish, a
figure that could grow to 5,000 or more. 

The agency has come under fire for the condition of its properties, but it
recently signed an $18.5 million contract to maintain them. 

"The Road Home tells us we should see something start to happen next week,"
Taffaro said. "That's their word, not mine."