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THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER
WEEKEND EDITION - SEPTEMBER 23, 2018
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE GREAT DARKE COUNTY FAIR!
City of Greenville working to clear blighted properties RYAN BERRY
MANAGING EDITOR editor@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – Greenville City Council learned Tuesday evening the city’s administration and fire department are working to eliminate some of the blighted areas that can be found in the community. Greenville Fire Chief Russell Thompson told council he has served five Nuisance Abatement orders and working to serve a sixth. Chief Thompson said,
“Collectively we have been working on a project. That project I would call restoring Nuisance Abatement. It is something we have not done for at least the last two years.” Chief Thompson informed council they will be receiving monthly updates on where open abatements are. According to Thompson, all but one of the properties on the current list are vacant residential properties. The other is a commercial property. “On all of these, this goes well
The Early Bird and Bluebag Media is planning to be in their new home at the corner of Martin, Washington and South Broadway this fall.
Early Bird/Bluebag Media ready for next 50 with move downtown KEITH FOUTZ
PUBLISHER klfoutz@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – We are excited to announce the Early Bird and Bluebag Media will be moving to downtown Greenville this November. Our new location will be at 100 Washington Avenue across from Annie Oakley Park and the new urban park. We will be one of the first businesses to greet people as they enter our vibrant downtown area. In addition, we hope this will make it more convenient for people to stop by with articles, ads, and will enable us to truly be an integral part of the community. As the sponsor of Main Street Greenville’s annual Beggar’s Night Parade, we look forward to continuing to serve the community in which we work and live. You may have also noticed a new van driving around town. If not, you will most will likely see it soon. The bright colors along with the picture of our mascot “Scoop” will definitely catch your attention. Thank you to Shannie Denney (our own graphic artist), who designed the artwork along with Wintrow Signs, for their excellent work. We are pleased to be your locally owned and operated newspaper serving Darke and the surrounding counties distributing more than 28,000 copies which reaches more than 70,000 readers. We are audited by a third party who also sur-
veys our readers, and has reported that over 80% of them use the Early Bird when making their buying decisions. In addition, Bluebag Media provides daily news updates with over 260,000 page views each month with links that take you directly to our advertiser’s websites. And don’t forget we send out a nightly newsletter with the latest happenings each day. You can sign up to receive this daily email on our website to help you keep up with all the latest news in our community. Of course there is also our Facebook page. If you haven’t “Liked” it already, please be sure to do so to get the latest updates as well. The commitment of our staff to bring you the most complete and up-to-date coverage possible along with advertising that brings results which are second to none are the reasons for our success. We have come a long way in just six short years, but our future is brighter than ever (just like our new van). We invest back into our people, our products and our community. We are proud to support this community with more than $30,000 in local sponsorships. We have been your hometown paper for 50 years and are looking forward to the next 50 (and more!). Please watch for announcements of our grand reopening and 50th anniversary celebration once we are all moved into our new location.
beyond cleaning, painting or yards mowed. Most of these are vacant structures, broken windows, unsecure and trash from one end of the house to the other if it’s not already in the outside yard,” said Thompson. A Nuisance Abatement order was served on Joshua Wynn, owner of 1114 Front Street on Sept. 7. The order required the building to be razed and removed within 45 days. Thompson said he was informed prior to the council meeting that the property owner voluntarily complied with the order. All but one of the remaining orders were served on Sept. 17. The information provided to council did not go into detail on the inspection of the properties, but was an overview of what is required of the property owners. Michael Mellott was served an order for 517 E. Third Street. The fire department was called to the home in December 2016 for a structure fire and there has been no water or electric since that time. The Darke County Health Department also has a complaint. They have 45-days to abate the violations.
Leroy E. Murphy has been ordered to board up the property at 714 E. Third Street in 14-days and abate all violations no later than Nov. 16. The property has been vacant for several years. The structure at 316 Hall Street has been inspected and has numerous Nuisance Abatement violations. The abatement order has not been issued because the owner is deceased and it is unclear as to where the order should be sent. Dana Teaford was issued an order for the property at 436 E. Fourth Street. “This was based on an email complaint I got from a neighbor in this neighborhood,” Thompson said. The house has multiple broken windows and is unsecure. “It’s full of garbage and rubbish. It is just unsafe,” said Thompson. The property owner was ordered to board up the property in 14-days and abate all violations no later than Nov. 16. The only commercial structure on the list is at 801 Front Street and currently houses J & M Tire. The order was served to Mitch Parin. The business has been asked to remove excessive tires on both
The property owner at 1114 Front Street voluntarily complied with city’s Nuisance Abatement order and razed and removed the structure.
sides of the road within 45-days. “This has been an ongoing issue for multiple years,” he said. Not only is this a Nuisance Abatement issue, Chief Thompson pointed out there are also issues with the health department, EPA and fire code. “We are going to try Nuisance Abatement this time and see if we can get anywhere with J & M Tire.” According to Safety Service Director Curt Garrison, the city wants to make this a continuous program. When one of the Nuisance Abatement properties goes off the list, another one will be added. If the property owners do not abate the viola-
tions by the deadline, the city has options on how to proceed. The law director could proceed with a civil action and have a court determine the city’s recourse or the owners could also face criminal penalties up to a first degree misdemeanor. If there is a “clear and present danger,” the city could forgo the civil action and “summarily abate” the issue. Garrison noted this option would not be taken on the current list of properties because it would be difficult to prove there is a “clear and present danger” since the city has let some of these properties continue in their present condition for multiple years.
Local couple deployed to assist Hurricane Florence victims SUSAN HARTLEY
STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com
NEW BERN, N.C. – For at least the next week, Tom and Karen Oliver of Union City will continue to assist Hurricane Florence victims in North Carolina. The couple learned Sept. 12 they would be joining other volunteers with the Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross to aid storm victims in New Bern, N.C. “We found out the day before (the storm) at about 9 p.m. We made our flight reservations and flew out the next af afternoon,” Tom Oliver said. “We first went to a staff shelter for one night, until we got our assignment.” The Olivers were assigned to work in an emergency shelter housed in an elementary school in New Bern “At one point we had 400-plus clients,” Oliver said. “As of today (Wednesday, Sept. 19), we have 112.” Oliver said those at the shelter were there due to flooded homes.
One man, Oliver said, was brought in by rescuers after the boat he lived on took on three feet of water. New Bern is located at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers, about 35 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The town of approximately 30,000 residents is located about halfway between Raleigh and Wilmington, Oliver explained. As of mid-week, some rivers throughout the state were continuing to experience rising water, causing flooding. “They’re in good spirits,” Oliver said of those still calling the shelter home. “They’re just worried about their homes. They haven’t been able to go back and check on their homes. But they’re keeping their spirits up.” The Olivers are not new to providing support to victims of natural disasters. Last year, the couple assisted during several deployments with the Red Cross, including traveling to Texas during Hurricane Harvey. Tom has been a volunteer for nine and a half years, also helping
This past summer, Tom and Karen Oliver received recognition for their volunteerism from Lynne Gump, executive director of the Northern Miami Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. (File photo)
during hurricanes Irene, Isaac and Irma, as well as with Superstorm Sandy. Karen’s first experience as a Red Cross volunteer was last year. “Karen and I signed up for two weeks,” Oliver said to assist with Hurricane Florence victims. “But we can stay an additional week if need be.” As of Wednesday, Oliver said businesses surrounding the elementary school were “slowly getting back open,” including Walmart and a handful of fast food restaurants. The couple has not been able to venture away from the emergency shelter due to assisting their clients.
“We’re working right now,” Oliver said Wednesday morning. “We were working with a crew of five, there’s eight volunteers here now.” Providing meals, acting as security at portable showers and just talking with those who have been displaced are some of the duties of the emergency shelter volunteers. “There’s no timeline as to when people will be back in their homes,” Oliver said, noting how much he and Karen enjoy being able to help those who are in need. “We just love it. You meet the most friendly people and the more you love them, they love you right back.”