Milestones: Hey, clean this!


Well, folks, you have to admit that the Clean Up Henderson Committee has done some wonderful things with the city. Dilapidated houses are coming down, junked and abandoned vehicles are being towed to that Great Junkyard Outside the ETJ, and weeded lots are being cleared. The cleanup committee also has helped clean up the railroad right of way.

The committee also started the Clean Up Henderson Week initiative last year. This year’s event runs Sept. 26 to 30. During that week, the city will waive extra pickup fees for big-ticket items such as refrigerators, washing machines, furniture, tires and other assorted detritus.

During the last Vance County Board of Commissioners meeting, state Rep. Michael Wray announced a $100,000 grant that the cleanup cadre will receive this year. Here’s a list of things I would like them to address with that cash:

Give the Code Compliance Department some money so it can continue to take down abandoned and dilapidated structures. The old South Henderson Elementary School is in such sorry shape that the prostitutes and drug dealers can hardly make a living in a safe work environment anymore.

Code Compliance needs another worker. This way, HPD officers currently handling nuisance vehicle complaints can get on the interstate and help prop up the fund balance.

Here’s a Henderson architectural feature that just has to get nipped in the bud. I like trees as much as the next columnist, but we have other places to keep them. I like to call those places “forests.” Sometimes, though, when the sun is behind them, I feel like I’m with Charlton Heston on the set of “The Ten Commandments.”

Here’s one at City Hall. I hope they remember to include the lumber in the asking price.

Ranger Wilkerson said to look at the old city garage, so I did. The refrigerators with the doors still attached (i.e. baby suffocators) are a particularly nice touch. The mattresses are also quite charming this time of year.

The city also owns other meadows that used to be paved lots. This one lies between Montgomery and Charles streets. It gives the business next to it a place to dump spare bits of twisted metal.

Let’s get this crap scrubbed off the walls before it takes over. If I catch one of these Teflon Assassin morons near my house with a paint can, I’m going show him how we Romans used Vandals for sword practice. I don’t want to lose to these guys a second time, though, so how about an ordinance like the one in Knightdale requiring property owners to clean up paint vandalism within 10 days? Under this ordinance, businesses cannot sell minors graffiti materials either. If New York City can fix its graffiti problem, I’m sure little ol’ Henderson can fix ours.

Got some that I missed? Post ’em below or e-mail pictures to miles@homeinhenderson.com.