Blight isn't just an eyesore, it's a health hazard

Gilligbauer, who is known to own many properties in the city that have fallen into disrepair, has been labeled as “public enemy number one” by then-Mayor William Milbrand, though not much ground has been gained since those words were spoken.

The city has tried, through several administrations, to quell the spread of blight, which is a word that stems from botany indicating plants that have been diseased. Unfortunately, the funding required to demolish properties in the city is at a minimum, with former Councilman Scott Roughton once explaining the city receives enough money from the Department of Community and Economic Development to destroy about six buildings per year.

That’s a tough situation to be in for the city, which is also hamstrung by its Act 47 status, which signifies — among many other things — a lack of leeway in the budget to devote to fixing issues like blight.

Sunday’s incident on Washington Street is a very clear example of one of the health hazards that can stem from blighted properties — a building can fall on someone. But there’s many more negative effects that deteriorated properties have on a community.

An article penned by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982 described the broken windows theory, which suggests visible signs of crime and other civil disorder creates more crime and disorder.

Wilson and Kelling astutely pointed out that vacant buildings that have no windows smashed are less likely to have a window smashed, because it shows that someone is maintaining the properties and cares for its appearance. However, a large building that has had one smashed window will likely have all of them broken within a short time period.

Our attitudes toward the area we live in are contagious, and the former pride many had in the local area must be regenerated.

The city has its hands full with tackling the blight issue. Destroying properties, in theory, reduces the potential size of the tax base, while attracting new investors en masse who are willing to renovate buildings is a very tall task.

But the city’s newly formed task force is a step in the right direction. We hope to see results, no matter how small, coming from the monthly meetings.

Positive attitudes and community pride are not going to solve the issue the city currently faces with blighted buildings, but it will go a long way to ensure new properties don’t fall into disrepair.