WEED WATCHERS KEEP SHARP EYE

As a horticulture student, Michelle Thomas learned about weeds and grasses. Now she's going to put her lessons to the test as a nuisance abatement officer with the city.

Thomas, who just finished her first week on the job, will handle weed complaint calls during the spring and summer months.

"Weeds are seasonal and it gets really busy," said Chuck Stucker, a nuisance abatement officer.

The number of complaints the city gets rises each year, he said.

Last year, three nuisance officers handled 8,051 calls about animals, trash, weeds and zoning complaints compared to 6,225 calls in 1997.

Much of that increase is attributed to a jump in complaints about weeds. Nearly 300 complaints were filed in August last year compared to less than 100 for the same month the previous year.

Last summer, there was more exposure to the program because volunteers helped identify problem yards and properties, and the summer was a wet one, which extended the growing season, Stucker said.

Now the city has developed a hotline number at 332-4907 for residents and property owners to use in identifying problem areas. Callers should leave their name and telephone number, as well as the address of the property in violation.

"Some people don't understand that there is a process," Stucker said. When a resident calls with a complaint, a nuisance officer must check the property to see if it violates city codes.

If it does, the city takes steps to eliminate the problem. With weeds, that means issuing a warning or summons and giving the property owner seven to 10 days to mow the grass.

If the grass isn't cut, the city mows it and bills the property owner for the cost of mowing. The fine is put on the landowner's tax bill.

Some property owners who were issued complaints and summons last year have already been notified by the police chief that they must maintain their yards this year, Stucker said.

The ordinances list specifics about how tall the grass can be. Grass more than 10 inches high within 200 feet of any building or 100 feet of a street is considered a nuisance.

With most properties, the problem is just that the owner hasn't had time to mow. In some cases, out-of-town landlords discover that "the people they were relying on just fell down on the job," Stucker said.

Because of the aggressive weed nuisance program, entire neighborhoods in the city have been cleaned up, said police officer Charlie Herbst.

Property owners in the 500 block of South Frederick and South Middle streets started making complaints about two years ago.

Many of the chronic offenders were fined, and condemned properties were demolished. A community development block grant also helped with neighborhood improvements.

People in those neighborhoods "have seen that it makes a difference," Herbst said. "People feel better about that."

Nuisance officers are housed at the neighborhood police station at 629 Good Hope St.