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Joe P. Asher

Staff Writer

The Harlan City Council received an update on proceedings against some blighted property during the year’s last regular meeting on Monday.

Mayor Danny Howard asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the Connecticut school shooting before calling the meeting to order.

Harlan City Attorney Scott Lisenbee brought the panel then updated the council blighted property.

“The couple pieces of property that we talked about last time — that we decided to send a letter out on under the blighted property ordinance — we did that,” said Lisenbee. “The property on Harlan Avenue and the property on Cumberland Avenue — we’ve got the letters out on those two. They’ve got 90 days to abate the problem.”

Lisenbee noted if the problem is not taken care of, there may be further action.

“If that doesn’t happen, then we’ll take the next step and send an additional letter. They’ve got 20 days to request a hearing after that. Then we can move on those,” said Lisenbee.

Council member Croley Forester inquired if an action had been filed on the Ivy Street property, which had been discussed at several previous meetings.

“We’ve sent out the initial notice,” said Lisenbee. “They’ve not requested a hearing. I think that’s the one where we’re going to look at the cost to see what it would be to clean it up, and then file a lean on the property once we get it cleaned up.”

“What about the property in Fairview where all the stuff is dumped?” asked Forester. “We said we were going to put a dumpster on there or something and work on it.”

“They started cleaning it up,” replied Howard. “They’ve made a lot of progress and hauled that off. While they were there one of the properties that we had not taken action on, but did nail (a notice) to the door that it was condemned, they went over and chopped that down and they’re in the process of getting that hauled off.”

Howard noted the efforts to improve blighted property in Harlan are getting results.

“It might not be at the speed we want, but it’s working,” said Howard.

In other action, council passed a resolution to support an interlocutory agreement with the UNITE program.

Also, the council members who will be serving on the panel as of Jan. 1 were administered the Oath of Office as required by Kentucky law before that date.

Taking the oath were new council members Anne Hensley and Jonathon Lee, along with returning members Grady Lee, Croley Forester, M.G. Smith, Gail Murray and Charles Stephenson.

Reach Joe P. Asher at 573-4510 or jasher@heartlandpublications.com