We can all do our part to clean up Coshocton
COSHOCTON – Since July, Property Code Investigator Jon Cotterman has been working hard to educate citizens.
“When I first started I dealt a lot with mattresses (that were being thrown away) not being wrapped in plastic,” he said. “The trash companies don’t want to pick those up because they don’t want to take the chance of bringing bed bugs home with them. All you have to do to get them taken away by the trash company is get some inexpensive drop cloths and tape and wrap them up.”
Another problem he’s worked hard to tackle is the issue of junk cars.
“They need to be operable and licensed,” Cotterman said. “If they can’t be fixed then they can’t be just sitting around. They also can’t have missing body parts or not be assembled. You can make arrangements with the scrap yard to get them hauled away.”
He feels that old cars and auto parts lying around detract from neighborhoods and that is why the city has ordinances against it.
“I think over the years people have relaxed their standards and neighborhoods have lost their pride,” Cotterman said. “Pride in community is important. It makes you feel better about where you live and makes the environment more pleasant.”
Another way you can help your neighborhood out is to keep your lawn mowed and your trees and shrubs trimmed especially if they are close to sidewalks that run along the road.
Cotterman also advised that the city doesn’t allow interior furniture to be kept on front porches and that people are encouraged not to leave items lying around their yards.
“Some things, like old tires, can become a health issue and then we have to involve the health department,” he said.
Residents also need to be aware that sidewalks are their responsibility.
“If the sidewalk in front of your home is broken up then it could become a trip hazarded and you could get sued,” he said.
The city also has a number of ordinances dealing with the actual appearance of a house. These and many others can be found by visiting www.cityofcoshocton.com, clicking on the city council link and then clicking on codified ordinances. Cotterman would be happy to help anyone with questions on any issues regarding their property. He can be reached at city hall, 740-622-1465 or by e-mail at jon.cotterman@cityofcoshocton.com.
“My advice to people is to keep the outside of their house cleaned up and think about how they want their neighborhood to look and work toward that,” Cotterman said.
If you have things you need to get rid of, you can always call the Habitat for Humanity Restore or salvage yards to see if they can help. The Big Coshocton Cleanup is another way you can help clean up the community. This annual event will be held at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22. Registration will take place at the court square gazebo and participants will be assigned areas to work on. That day, there also will be a container at the fairgrounds, located near the Alder Street entrance, that old furniture can be placed in. The Boy Scouts also will be at the fairgrounds accepting old appliances.
“I want to look at problems in the community and find solutions for them,” Cotterman said.”If someone gets a warning they can always call me and we will work with them. I’d rather have to wait another week or two than have to make an appearance in court.”
Category: People & Places
