Harrison to focus grass cutting efforts on abandoned properties

They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In Harrison, the tall grass that gets complained about the most may get cut.

With a roster of five to six dozen uncared for properties, the township’s five part-time summer workers can only get to so many, commissioners Chairman Bill Heasley said.

Their time will be further limited this year after the township agreed to help the volunteer group caring for the historic Burtner House by mowing its grass, he said.

“That’s quite an extensive piece of property,” he said.

So this summer, the township’s summer helpers will cut the grass at two, maybe three of the 67 abandoned and vacant properties that the township is getting the most complaints about or are in the worst condition each week.

Some of the properties are vacant lots; many have buildings on them, Heasley said.

Grass is often not the only things the workers have to deal with.

“I would say that 80% to 90% of those on the list are vacant or abandoned,” code enforcement Officer Norbert Cieslinski said. “When those guys show up to cut the grass, there’s mattresses in the yard, old bicycles broken apart, so there’s more to do there than just cut grass.”

Two years ago, the township hired a contractor to cut the grass. It tried to do that again last year, but nobody bid on it, Heasley said.

Heasley said it’s unlikely that over the course of the summer that all 67 properties will get attention.

“We have enough of our own grass to maintain on township properties,” he said. “We don’t have enough help to do them all.”

The township can and does file liens on the properties on which its employees work. With a lien, the township may be able to recover the cost of the grass cutting if the property is ever sold or the owner found.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll ever get your money back,” Heasley said. “You want to try to take care of it. No one should have to live next to a place that’s ready to fall down or the grass is a foot high.”

Solicitor Chuck Means said the township could adopt an ordinance to formalize the procedure it follows for maintaining abandoned properties and recovering the cost, similar to what exists for when the township tears buildings down.

A specialized program could help the township when it comes to prioritizing the properties and whether to contract out the work, Means said.

“It’s a really hard problem,” he said.