To echo the concerns of Barbara Pfeifer and Bryan Maher (The News, September 25): I took it upon myself two years ago to prepare a photo essay of sorts for the township on some “nuisance” conditions in my own neighborhood (Berrien City). Among these: abandoned properties with broken windows, rusted/falling-down sheds, old and rusted row boats, falling-down fences, and — my personal favorite — a garage with a set of tattered sheets in place of garage “doors.”
I am happy to report that the township did respond, and I even got a call from Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh apologizing for the fact that I had to step into the role of citizen code enforcement officer. I am aware that Berrien City is not a planned community with an architectural review board and such. But please, dear township, there is some low hanging fruit in town (in particular Berrien City) that does rise to the level of a “nuisance” condition and that should be demoralizing to anyone who is paying such high property taxes to live in this town.
The mayor’s comment, cited in the September 25 article, that code enforcement could be made difficult by the fact that some property owners live elsewhere is frankly kind of laughable. Give me access to your property tax database and about 20 minutes. Problem solved. Meantime it would be nice for all residents of the township to think about their neighbors when taking care of their properties and to realize the shared benefit to all of us.
M. Chamberlain
Berrien City
