Can the City proceed to correct the wrongs in the Flint Hill area when two elected officials are invested in the neighborhood and have not addressed the problems? Do they want the eyes of the city and state turned on this area?
Mike Inscoe’s company is invested in 13 houses and other lots in the Flint Hill Area on Hillside, Marshall, Booth, Champion and Chavasse. His company is listed as Hamlett Investments LLC with the Secretary of State and the 2012 tax records of these properties can be obtained on line at the Vance County Tax site. The account number is 9108819.
Brenda Peace Jenkins is pastor of the Greater Little Zion Holiness which owns property in this area. They are listed on the 2012 tax books as owning 15 properties on Booth, Hillside, and Flint Streets as well as some lots. The account number is 23805.
The public needs to know that two people who are invested in properties in the Flint Hill area are sitting on Henderson’s Council- the same council that is going to decide what to ask for in the $500,000 grant.
The question must be answered—“What is the greater need in Henderson- tearing down the many dilapidated houses that destroy property values and bring crime and blight to our neighborhoods—houses that are so deteriorated that the house would not be worth the cost of repairs OR more rental properties for Henderson?”
This should be a no-brainer. For years blight and decay have taken over neighborhoods in Henderson especially in South Henderson, North Henderson, and in the Flint Hill area.
The city has identified 24 abandoned structures just in the Flint Hill area alone that need to be demolished. The cost is estimated to be $5000 to remove one structure. At the Information Meeting at City Hall on Monday, it took a lot of questions to make it clear that demolition costs can be paid with the $500,000 capacity grant that the city seeks. It took even more questions to determine that houses that are not worth repairing cannot be fixed with this money, and neither can landlords use the money to repair properties.
A list of the 24 properties with the names of their owners was presented. (One of these properties belonged to Greater Little Zion Holiness.) In the best of all worlds, these owners would take care of removing this blight and keeping all rental property at minimum standards. But it is obvious that this is not going to happen. The next best thing is for the city to take action. A vacant lot is much better than a lot with a crumbling structure full of mold, rot, filth, lead paint, asbestos, vermin, and decay. These properties are not just eyesores. They are real dangers to livability and community sustainability and anyone who lives in a neighborhood with dilapidated houses knows that is true whether you own your home or rent.
It is a fact that the city has not had the money to budget for demolition of all the houses that are causing blight in our city. It is also a fact that the city has not taken the steps to clean and clear our creeks and correct drainage problems. Both of these are huge problems in Flint Hill. In the past the excuse was that the city could not go on private land, but the law states that it can be done to provide safety and it needs to be done.
The swampy areas need to be cleaned of debris and pollutants and weeds. This can be done and still leave a riparian barrier and it would go a long way in ridding the neighborhood of the infestation of the rats and nutrias and mosquitoes.
This capacity grant could easily provide the money!
So, why would the city not breathe a sigh of relief that there is finally a chance to get money to do what has needed to be done for so long and help the people in Flint Hill? And why would the city not put demolishing dilapidated and deteriorated houses and cleaning the area around them the first and ONLY priority for this grant?
Would that cause a problem for those who own other houses in that neighborhood? Would cleaning up the area shine a light on what has been hidden and force other livability standards? Would the city find that there are inhabited houses that are not fit to be lived in? Why would the city not be motivated to jump up and down for this money to help the residents of Flint Hill?
Remember, two people who are invested in properties in the Flint Hill area are sitting on Henderson’s Council- the same council that is going to decide what to ask for in the $500,000 grant so we will wait and see if the great need in Flint Hill is addressed.
Mrs. Yount is right on target. Most of the council members who will make the decision were part of the ill-fated New Direction a few years ago. How did that turnout, Henderson residents?
These council members, after taking office, overturned the city ordinance requiring periodic inspection of rental property. Maybe the members of this council will suddenly have pangs of conscience and join Hank Williams, Senior’s heavenly choir and sing, “Praise the Lord, I Saw the Light”.
Voters should carefully watch and note who votes the “right way”. Maybe it will truly be a “New Direction.”
I wonder if the properties that are owned by the Church council member Peace-Jenkins are the same houses that Rogers/Rogers “donated” to her? As far as a conflict of interest….need you look any further than the Downtown Apartments? Doesn’t Mike Inscoe’s daughter(s) own the company that has a couple of the apartments? He can say that he “didn’t vote on it” but anyone with 1/2 a brain knows he was part of any initial discussions and probably a part of the final discussions….just not in the public’s eye. This town is being segregated by the HAVE’S and the Have Not’s!!! Too bad you have elected officials who try to play both sides of the fence….i.e.Coffey!!! I will guarantee you one thing…….a couple of the ‘fat cats’ who have become comfortable in their seats will be facing challengers next time around!!! GUARANTEED!!! You heard it here first!!
Remember when the Certificate of Occupancy was SHOT DOWN by the “new direction” b/c a group of slum,er landlords got Mike Satterwhite to draw up some sort of paperwork saying it would be too intrusive,etc to the tenants? I say let the slum,er landlords spend a weekend in one of the dilapidated houses that they rent to folks and get that nice HUD $$$$$$. To me that is just as bad as sitting on the porch drinking yo’ 40oz and smoking that wacky weed and then running over to Dept. of Social Services b/c your lights are about to be cut off!!!! Both examples are clear cut of people abusing taxpayer $$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NUFF SAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Inscoe also had a company listed under his daughter’s names that was part of the apartments on Garnett St. I wonder how many of the houses over in the Flint Hill area were ‘donated’ by Rogers/Rogers Group to the Church that Peace-Jenkins is the Pastor of? Make no mistake about it…..Henderson/Vance area has some of the world’s dumbest politicians w/o a shadow of a doubt. I have been to 3 World Fairs, 3 Goat Ropings, and 4 Amusement Parks and haven’t seen a “side show” that would compare to the way the Henderson/Vance politicians conduct business!! Name 1 of the dummies who you have seen out in the community when it wasn’t a Photo-Op? People always ask why certain individuals won’t run for office..etc….and the ? that I pose to them is “Would you like to sit around with a bunch of idiots and try to do business?” Collective IQ of both city/county officials is probably less than that of a herd of cattle!!!! At least the cattle provide beef!!!! NO PORK!!!!! i.e. Pork Barrel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I watched my city council person going door to door last election and there were no cameras anywhere. Would like to see a goat roping though.
Deception, I witnessed one of the all-time worst examples of stupidity at a Henderson City Council meeting. There are 8 council member plus the mayor who only votes in case of a tie. On a particular motion, the clerk said the vote was 6 to 3. Neither the mayor, the city manager, the clerk nor any of the council members challenged the vote. Finally a member of the audience said, “How can the vote be 6 to 3 if there are only 8 members?” There was complete silence until another member of the audience pointed out that one member had voted both yes and no.
Apparently nobody brought a calculator in order to ascertain that 6 plus 3 was 9 and not 8. Folks, these are the people who vote on budgets and determine tax rates.
BELIEVABLE –so sad but true Royal Rooter! LOL
Purdy Pete must have been counting Sam’s vote is the only logical explanation for the miscalculation………………only N hunnersun!!! Home of the LAZY…..INTERNET CAPITAL OF NC……BABY MAMA DRAMA……SOCIAL SERVICES BETTER GIVE ME A NEW CELL PHONE…..BIG GOVT. GONNA TAKE CARE OF ME AND MY BABY DADDY(if I knew who it was)!!!!!! WAKE UP DUMMIES and at least act like you are not as dumb as you appear!!!
Some good points are made in the article above. I do not care if people own rental property, it is up to those that rent to take somewhat care of where they live. Busting holes in the walls, tearing out plumbing, ripping down ceiling fans, failing to house keep properly (clean), demolish floors among other things are what turns these structures in to slums.
Did anyone attend the city council meeting last night. From Bobbitt’s notes one of the three blind mice went to the wrong place to complain about Flint Hill. Can a dumber group be suing the city than those three.
I see we trade a mediocre judge for a mediocre attorney according to the lasted results.
At least the Senate and White House stay in the Democratic column for the next four years.
Is it too much to ask who the council person was that voted twice?