The city has decided to use about $1 million of its federal COVID relief funds to remove and dispose of overgrowth in the yards of properties that contribute to blight in neighborhoods.
Overgrowth can be unsightly and can make streets and neighborhoods feel neglected and unsafe. The vegetation also sometimes attracts illegal dumping and other unwanted activities, Ritchie said.
The city has already spent a little more than $200,000 cleaning up 21 properties in Old North Dayton and 143 properties in the Westwood neighborhood.
The Dayton City Commission recently approved spending about $194,000 more to clear vegetation from another 144 properties in Westwood. The work is supposed to be completed by the end of this year.
A third round of blight removal in Westwood is planned, likely involving about 270 additional properties.
“I’m sure the residents of Westwood are going to be elated to know this is coming,” said Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild.
Next up after Westwood, the city plans to do more blight cleanup in Five Oaks, Wolf Creek and Carillon.
Ritchie said the city is clearing overgrowth from properties that are on the city’s nuisance list but that are not slated for demolition.
Dayton also plans to knock down and eliminate more than 1,000 derelict structures, using millions of dollars in federal COVID aid and other funding sources.
Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss said this work will have a big impact on neighborhoods as we head toward summer, when weeds and brush can overwhelm a property.
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