PROPOSED LAW Aiming to tidy up

High grass is the first sign to criminals that a house is vacant, a councilman says.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A city councilman wants to do something about the overgrown grass and vacant houses throughout the city, to discourage vandals and thieves.
Councilman Alford L. Novak, D-2nd, plans to sponsor legislation to allocate money for grass cutting and house boarding. Because council recesses for August, the legislation may be introduced at a special meeting.
"There's some places out there where the grass is already 3 or 4 feet high," Novak said. "Some people have had problems with rats and other vermin."
He wants the money in the health department's budget for grass cutting to be redirected to contracted services so the city can hire a contractor to do the work.
"It's a priority for them to go out and start cutting the grass," Novak said.
Robert Pinti, deputy health commissioner, said that amounts to about $5,000, but he's in the process of hiring a tractor driver to do the work. The tractor is equipped with an instrument to cut high grass along the sides of roads where it obstructs visibility.
Sending a signal
High grass is a first sign to vandals and prospective thieves that a house is vacant, the councilman said. Thieves gut the houses of anything valuable and vandals break windows and destroy other parts of the property.
Novak also wants legislation to allocate money from the general fund to board houses to keep those people out.
"We're at a pertinent time now with just finishing second-quarter budget reviews," Novak said.
Earlier this year, city council passed legislation dictating how buildings deemed unsafe are boarded up.
Under the ordinance, boarding applies to doors, windows and other areas prone to the weather or entrance. Each opening must be secured by 3/4-inch-thick plywood cut to fit neatly against the doorjamb or window frame.
Two 2-by-4s would be cut to the width of the plywood dimension. The exposed surfaces of the building then would be painted in a color matching the structure's siding or trim.
The amount of money available to address houses that need to be boarded depends on whether it's done by an outside contractor or by city employees, said Auditor David Griffing.
denise_dick@vindy.com