MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County government listened to the concerns of neighbors who said they wanted to get rid of eyesores and prevent them from popping up.
The Spring Lake neighborhood, nestled between Raleigh and Bartlett in north Shelby County, was where the county visited Tuesday.
“How can government people know sitting in a chair all the way down on the river what’s going on in a neighborhood unless we go down and visit them?” questioned Steve Shular, a spokesperson for Shelby County.
Shular was referring to the county officials that worked downtown and constantly received complaints and questions from people in the community.
One person he has been working with for several years is Kim Shumate, the president of the Spring Lake Farms Homeowners Association.
The pair met Tuesday afternoon to survey the subdivision.
The neighborhood was picturesque.
Some of the homes surrounded a sparkling lake and vibrant green trees have been around since the 1950s.
The neighborhood was important to Shumate.
“I love to see a good, clean, healthy neighborhood and everybody wants to have their property valued the best they can,” he explained.
He wasn’t alone.
WREG learned the county meets with about 75 groups around three times a week.
Together they looked for problems like blighted buildings, unkept lawns, old, rusting cars in yards or any other violations.
In Spring Lake an abandoned church had become an eyesore so the county said they would work to fix it and other problems.
“You write down a very specific list of concerns and then you stay accountable,” explained Shular.
Shumate said his advice to a clean neighborhood is to not give up, stay involved and get your neighbors involved.