Operation: Ridgeway, It’s a Great Place to Live! kicked off with a bang on Monday, September 16 with the demolition of a derelict property.
Removal of the Phospho Springs Road property was long overdue, according to Ridgeway Mayor Craig O’Der. He explained that the idea to start the project began in July when the Ridgeway Town Council had its first meeting with the new fiscal year budget.
“We took a riding tour around the town to look at some issues that we were having as far as buildings and properties that were overgrown, out of compliance with local ordinances, and so forth. Stuff that we had received complaints about,” O’Der said.
After that, town officials started working with Henry County and the Henry County Department of Planning, Zoning, & Inspections, O’Der said. Town officials started making a list of properties they felt needed to be improved, with the Phospho Springs Road property being number one on the list.
“It had been burnt out many years ago and had been neglected by the owners who moved out of the area. So, we coordinated with Planning and Zoning with the county, and my counterpart who’s the Ridgway supervisor Travis Pruitt, and County Administrator Dale Wagoner and the Sheriff’s Office to try to force some of these building codes and so forth,” O’Der said.
The property owners were contacted and told the town felt like the property was dangerous and was a public nuisance. By September 16, the property was demolished, and while that marked the beginning, others are in the process.
“We’ve been sending out notices to property owners that they need to get their properties cleaned up, mowed, and then we’re going to start taking action,” O’Der said
The town started at the top of the list and now is working on the top three properties that were deemed to be nuisances or that need work. O’Der estimates there are about eight to nine properties on the list including one on Summit Ridge Road.
Henry County Board of Supervisors member Travis Pruitt, of the Ridgeway District, said the funding for the demolition came from the pot of money each district has that’s earmarked for blights, for cleanup, or properties on which the grass/vegetation is too tall or overgrown.
“The current budget year that we’re in, it was added to, so we sort of replenished those pots in each district. So, each supervisor has money there to clean up this blight and make their communities look better,” Pruitt said.
While the process is detailed as to how the money can be used, Pruitt said each supervisor chooses what it is used for. He also has other properties within Ridgeway town limits that he wishes to use funding to help clean up.
“I have several others – one on King’s Mill Road, one on Farm Brook Road that we’re looking into as well,” he said.
Ridgeway is such a beautiful place to live, O’Der said, “but we’ve had some properties over the years that people have neglected. We just really want to try and do what we can to work with those owners, and if they ignore us, well, how about my landscaping crew come in and mow the yard and send them a bill? Which I’ve already done for people who are just not going to do anything,” he said.
While some might consider the operation to be heavy-handed, O’Der believes it is the right thing to do, especially for those who live right beside the derelict properties.
“It’s not fair for them because the” derelict “properties decrease the value of their property, and everybody wants a beautiful place to live,” he said.
Pruitt also believes the project is important to the community. He too is dedicated to creating a clean, welcoming community, in part because that’s what drives economic development.
“We have tons of visitors in the Ridgeway District from Martinsville Speedway to the Sports Complex, so we want when they visit and when out in our community doing things,” visitors will see “that it’s clean,” he said. “By restoring these neglected areas per se, Ridgeway remains that great place to live, work, raise a family, and we’re also building that stronger, healthier, more beautiful community for everyone. It’s just important to me that folks don’t have to look at these structures that are falling down from their front porch when they’re outside trying to relax, or work in the yard, or that type of stuff.”
O’Der said the problem is not going to be solved overnight, but he hopes that as more action is taken, more residents will decide to take care of their properties.
“If I have to start taking action, start to put liens on people’s residences for the cleanup costs, then that’s what we’ll start doing. We’ve sent letter after letter to some of these properties,” and had nothing get fixed, he said.
While some residents never respond to the town’s letters, O’Der noted some have been receptive to making improvements to their residences.
He also hopes to plan a community clean-up day in the near future to further beautify Ridgeway.
