Jackson Free Press

Mayor Frank Melton announced that he intends to demolish more than 30 dilapidated homes on Farish Street, near the Church Street junction. "I'm taking them all down, and we're billing the owner. We're thinking they'll cost $1,500 a piece," Melton told members of the press on Monday.

Code Enforcement Manager Joe Lewis said the city already has more than 1,000 homes waiting to be demolished, and estimates that the cost of those demolitions will be more than $3 million.

Melton insists, however, that the Farish Street homes are the city's priority now, however. "If we're going to make a $20 million investment in the entertainment district, we've got to clean the whole neighborhood up. … I don't have a choice. These buildings are a health and safety hazard. I don't want them boarded up. I want them on the ground so we can come in here and rebuild this right," Melton said, adding that he wanted to focus demolition efforts on projects like Farish Street, instead of demolishing houses here and there across the city.

Melton said that Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon was partly to blame for the dilapidation of the Church Street area. "While Margaret Barrett-Simon is calling for my resignation (over felony indictments), here is what she has allowed to happen in this community, which is her ward. She does a great job in Belhaven and Fondren. She does nothing over here," Melton said.

Barrett-Simon called Melton's statement an attempt to distract from his administration's $4 million budget shortfall, which was revealed at a recent budget review.

Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler scoffed at Melton's promise to demolish the houses in 30 days. "Demolition on that spot requires permission from a host of different agencies. It's a historically designated area. Tearing something down in 30 days under that kind of scrutiny isn't going to happen."

Jennifer Baughn, an architectural historian for the Department of Archives and History, said she hoped the city would follow department guidelines during demolition to avoid "adversely impacting the historic designation of the area."

Previous Commentsshow

Melton said that Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon was partly to blame for the dilapidation of the Church Street area. “While Margaret Barrett-Simon is calling for my resignation (over felony indictments), here is what she has allowed to happen in this community, which is her ward. She does a great job in Belhaven and Fondren. She does nothing over here,” Melton said. Frank Melton you are an absolute asshole! I guess it is Ben Allen's fault that the flood zone in NE Jackson is going downhill too!

pikersam

Apr 4 2007

see my post on the exposure of the ring by melton.

Kingfish

Apr 4 2007

Melton: I’m taking them all down, and we’re billing the owner. We’re thinking they’ll cost $1,500 a piece,” Right......... Code Enforcement Manager Joe Lewis said the city already has more than 1,000 homes waiting to be demolished, and estimates that the cost of those demolitions will be more than $3 million. That statement as written wasn't entirely clear to me, but doesn't that mean demolition would cost the City $3,000 per homesite? The Farish Street revitalization project was a clusterf%$@ with enough blame to go around, but at least it was actually inching forward under the last administration. I don't see how this could be laid solely at the feet of Barrett-Simon except as a distraction from the Mayor's troubles.

Jeff Lucas

Apr 4 2007