Youngstown challenged to keep up with grass cutting

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The city’s street department is still working to make a first cut of grass on vacant lots without structures despite working 12-hour shifts some days.

Slowing down the cutting are “staffing levels, equipment and the weather,” said Kevin Flinn, the city’s buildings and grounds commissioner.

The street department had cut grass at 3,349 vacant lots since it started in May, he said. They’ve cut 12 days in May and four in June, Flinn said.

In 2018, the department cut 5,701 lots three times each, he said. But it took until the end of June last year to get to all the lots for a first cut, he said.

This week, the city had eight to 10 tractors cutting grass Tuesday to Friday with 12-hour shifts, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on the first three days and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Flinn said.

They’ll be back next week with eight-hour shifts on Monday and Friday and 12-hour shifts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The city cuts vacant lots without structures that have grass that is at least 8 inches high.

The city hires private contractors to mow vacant lots with structures, also with grass that’s at least 8 inches high.

Next week, those seven contractors will start their second cut to the 749 lots they handle using riding and push lawn mowers, said Michael Durkin, the city’s code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent.

Last year, the private contractors mowed about 577 vacant lots with structures three times each for 1,730 total cuts.

Owners of properties that have grass cut by the street department or city-hired contractors are assessed $150 per cut by the city on their tax bills. No data is available for how much was raised from the $150 assessments. But officials say most times, it goes uncollected.

Because of that assessment, Flinn said he expects there to be less than 5,701 lots that will be cut by the street department this year. But the department has yet to go to all of those lots to determine how many are in need of cutting, he said.

Also, Flinn said, when the city makes a cut, employees are using farm tractors.

“We’re knocking it down,” he said. “We’re not cutting it to 3 inches. It grows back in a month, but we don’t have the manpower and enough equipment to get back faster.”

The city cuts grass until October, Flinn said.