Enforcement board reviews citations, ‘solve these murders’ signs, yard art

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Sunday, April 10, 2016, 6 p.m. — The City of Bardstown’s new Code Enforcement Board met Thursday to review the status of pending citations and to discuss the board’s ability to affect landscaping in certain areas, including parts of Broadway in the city historic district.

REVIEW OF CITATIONS. Board member Ann Rosalie Ballard noted that the board’s current list of citations did not include properties that were in clear violation of the city’s ordinances.

The city’s Code Enforcement Board met Thursday, April 7, 2016, to discuss recent enforcement actions. The board, from left: Ann Rosalie Ballard, Jim Dittmeier, Scott Frink, Teresa Maddox and chairman Margaret Sims

She said she had driven around the Maple Hill neighborhood and saw properties she believed should be on the enforcement list but were not, leading Ballard to ask Mayor John Royalty how they pick and choose which properties are selected for enforcement.

Some of the violations are on the enforcement list, she said including a structure damaged by fire, and an unlicensed garage.

“There’s probably about 10 houses in Maple Hill that I can name off the top of my head that need to be addressed,” she said.

There is no picking and chosing of which properties are cited, Royalty said.

Steve Hatler, the city’s code enforcement officer, makes contact and informs the property owner of the violation, he explained. Enforcement is the last step of the process, individuals are given a chance to correct the problem before a citation is issued.

“Ninety percent of people comply,” he said.

Ballard asked why no enforcement action has been initiated regarding Anatok, the decaying mansion that was the birthplace of Daniel Rudd, a prominent African American Catholic journalist and newspaper publisher.

RaShae Jennings, the city’s historic preservation coordinator, said that since Anatok is involved in a lawsuit, the city cannot take any enforcement action.

YARD ART, LANDSCAPE PLANTS. Ballard also asked if there was any action the board could take regarding yard art and fake flowers located at a home on Broadway.

Jennings said there is no ordinance that regulates yard art and fake flowers because they are considered “artistic personal expression.” The Historic Review Board has been discouraged from trying to judge what yard art is appropriate and what is not.

Ballard said a home on North Fourth Street has plantings between the sidewalk and the street, and when the plants get taller they can block the sidewalk. Royalty said if plantings actually block the sidewalk, the city can take action.

“Can we not come up with some kind of ordinance that the city has the say-so over what is planted there?” she asked. “What’s going to stop me from doing it at my house? Right now I could go out there and make it as tacky as I want to do it.

“If there’s not a rule or an ordinance, there should be,” she said. “That’s what I’m recommending.”

Jennings said it depends on where the right-of-way is located. In some cases, the city’s right of way does not include the grassy strip between the curb and sidewalk. In those cases, the city cannot dictate what is placed on private property.

In regard to homes on the older parts of East and West Broadway, the city actually owns the front yards of the homes up to their front door, Royalty explained. If the city imposes rules the homeowners didn’t agree with, the homeowners could refuse to maintain their city-owned front yards, which would require the city to maintain the yards.

Ballard also took issue with the yard signs connected with the disappearance of Crystal Rogers.

“My heart breaks for the Rogers family, but do we really want signs between the sidewalk and the street saying ‘Let’s find Crystal’ or ‘Solve these murders?’ ”

Ballard agreed the murders need to be solved, but she questioned the image the signs give to the tourists who visit town.

Sims said the issue was one the city council needed to address.

WILSON MOTEL. Ballard also asked about enforcement action on the Wilson Motel on North Third Street. The stucco was coming off the back side of the rooms facing the alley, she said.

The property is in the historic district, and a possible buyer is considering purchase of the property, Jennings said. If sold, the new owner will address the property’s condition and have sufficient time to do so, she said. If the property isn’t sold, then enforcement action is likely.

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