Increased demolition, abatement budget requested for code enforcement
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
Determinations for when to demolish homes beyond repair like these often comes down to costs said Code Enforcement Officer Andy Gedeon. Increased that budget to $150,000 would allow for more demolitions to take place.
PORTSMOUTH A drive through Portsmouth reveals many condemned homes, some awaiting the decision of a teardown in the sum of thousands of dollars.
Many of these homes are vacant- some leaving the city or the state, retaining the property but not keeping it up which have in some instances become locations for illicit behavior.
‘The time has come’: City WTP to be demolished in 2025
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
PORTSMOUTH When it comes to getting water to the city and a fair share of county residents, the Portsmouth Water Treatment Plant has held that responsibility for more than 70 years.
On Wednesday, the
Daily Times joined Director of Water Filtration and City Manager Sam Sutherland in a tour of the facility just east of the New Boston Walmart.
“I know it might be hard to see, but there are a lot of areas of the facility that are in bad shape,” he said, serving in the department for the past 32 years.
Friends of Greenlawn speaks before City Council
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
PORTSMOUTH- Four years ago this week, the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation approached Portsmouth City Council with the idea of a public-private agreement.
On Monday, Debbie Gambill spoke before the council during the City Manager’s session to update them on its progress in maintaining one of what she called the oldest operating cemeteries in the Midwest.
“We thought it was a lot for any city to take care of,” she said, describing the 40-acre site home to 8,500 graves. “And we did believe that we could work together, and with many other non-profits, to make the necessary improvements come to fruition.”
City considering building a new code enforcement division
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
PORTSMOUTH To boost its response to code enforcement matters in the city, CE officer Andy Gedeon and City Engineer Nathan Prosch proposed multiple changes to the department before Portsmouth City Council Monday.
In the past few weeks, Gedeon, Prosch, City Manager Sam Sutherland, and City Solicitor John Haas have been discussing what can be done to improve the department’s abilities.
“As we all know, we have been battling a big fight with code enforcement,” said Sutherland during the City Managers session that evening. “I believe we finally got something to put to writing.”
Portsmouth PD makes its case for Lenco Medcat
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
PORTSMOUTH- Last week’s Portsmouth City Council session found divergent voices in regards to the need for an armored vehicle to be used by the city’s police department.
1st Ward Councilman Sean Dunne has opposed the purchase of a Lenco Medcat as it reemerged last month, voting against during the City Manager’s session on April 26 and in first reading on May 10 after originally attempting to table the measure that evening.
“There is not one person that I’ve spoken to at Shawnee State University that thinks this is a good idea,” the sociology professor said, later clarifying that he was not delivering a direct message from SSU but rather relaying what administration, faculty, and staff that he has held conversations with have said.