By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — On Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the regular meeting of Greenville City Council, a resident criticized the city and ADC Concrete for the work they are doing during the first phase of the sidewalk project.

The resident, who lives on Washington Avenue, shared photos of the work the contractor has done around her home and in the neighborhood. She expressed her concern that the contractor did not give them notice of when the work would begin, nor would they provide a phone number for the supervisor doing the work.

She said the contractor parked an excavator in front of her driveway and left for lunch, she also had issues with them trampling through her flowers to plug in some of their equipment into her outlets and not notifying her. She also told the council that she believes they did not remove tree roots properly and merely buried them under the aggregate. She showed a picture of part of root or tree trunk sticking out of the ground. During Trick-or-Treat, the company left gaping holes where the sidewalk once stood with only a cone warning people of the danger. She saw one trick or treater fall into the hole that was filled with water and mud because of the recent rains. She also claimed the company left debris scattered throughout her and her neighbor’s flower beds.

The resident asked why one of the busiest streets for pedestrians had sidewalks on both sides of the street closed at the same time. She asked if it would be better to complete one side of the street and then do the other.

Council President John Baumgardner thanked the resident for sharing the information. Baumgardner asked Safety Service Director Ryan Delk to respond. Delk said this was the first he had heard of the complaint. “I will get with our inspectors and the contractor.” Baumgardner pointed out this is phase one of the project and the city is learning what they can do better for phase two. However, he admitted there are a lot of things in the report the resident presented to the council the city needs to take care of right away.

The resident also had issues with two properties near her home that are vacant. She considered both properties a nuisance with trash on the property or windows and doors that are open. She said she witnessed people dumping dogs inside one of the properties. She believes there are vermin in and around both properties. The resident said she has talked with Greenville’s planning and zoning department about both properties.

Baumgardner asked Law Director Michael Rieman if the city is able to board up a house if the windows and doors are open or broken. Rieman suggested that it was possible if the windows and doors were open and the house is vacant. “We’ll get that done,” said Baumgardner.

After several months of letting the tabled zoning recommendation sit on the agenda, the council lifted it from the table for discussion. The Planning & Zoning Board gave a favorable recommendation to change the zoning for the parcel of land on State Route 121 North from General Business to Planned Unit Development. However, the council has not been able to garner enough votes to either approve or reject the recommendation.

Although Councilman Leon Rogers joined Councilmen Clarence Godwin and Brian Brown to support the recommendation, there was still not enough support to approve the recommendation. Because the recommendation needs 75 percent of council members to reject the recommendation or 50 percent plus one vote to approve the recommendation, the item will remain on the city council’s agenda.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].