Josh Richardson | Daily Times
Carol Hieneman of Portsmouth clears brush from a vacant lot that she has spent two weeks cleaning. She said the lot was used for illegal activity and she wanted to eliminate the eyesore.
Josh Richardson | Daily Times
Carol Hieneman collected an assortment of railroad spikes in a vacant lot in the east end of Portsmouth.
JOSH RICHARDSON
PDT Managing Editor
Carol Hieneman was tired of watching a vacant and overgrown lot in her neighborhood be used for prostitution and drug deals so she decided to do something about it.
The Portsmouth mother of two grown children — known in the neighborhood as The Lawn Lady — typically mows the grass for her elderly neighbors. With such little rain recently she had some time on her hands. That inspired her to start hacking away at tree branches, brush and vines ivy that infested the lot on Armstrong Avenue, which is two doors down from her home on Linden Avenue.
Hieneman said she has been working on the lot for two weeks and spending eight to 10 hours a day on the project. By Monday, she had revealed a clearing she said was used for illegal activity.
She said neighbors could easily see through the overgrowth what was going on.
“When it was all brush, all kinds of illegal activity, you know: prostitution, drug deals. They’d walk up in here and stuff,” Hieneman said. “The kids in the alley could see it happening all the time. People would stop in their cars, get out and do their transactions. I said, by god, I want to see who’s over there.”
She said she has removed trash, tires and couches from the property. A majority of the work has been in poison ivy, she said.
“Urgent care knows me well,” she said with a laugh.
She has been moving the debris and trash to the driveway of the vacant home that sits next to the lot. That house was burned earlier this year in a suspected arson.
Hieneman said she doesn’t know who owns the land, and she has tried to contact the city for help, but no one has responded to her emails. She said she wrote an email to the City of Portsmouth and asked for a Dumpster.
“They don’t even acknowledge my emails. So I thought, well, eventually they’re gonna have to demolish this (house), they can take all this trash with them,” Hieneman said.
So why go through all the trouble of clearing a lot she doesn’t own?
“Being out in the fresh air helps me. I’d rather be outside,” Hieneman said. “I’ve got multiple joint replacements. So the more I move the better I feel.”
Hieneman also said she hopes the new open space can be used for something productive.
“People have stopped and asked me who they call to reserve it for a family reunion. I said, ‘just come on,’” Hieneman said.
Josh Richardson may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 244, or jrichardson@heartlandpublications.com
What you are experiencing in emails not be returned is called a city government (employees of the taxpayer) that simply does not care.
They dont care about you or this city. They care about pay raises, new city buildings, income tax increases. They were all heavily involved with those things, as those things affect their pay and working environment. The house on Armstrong Street does not effect them, so they dont care about you or your neighborhood.
I know it took 9 calls to the Service Department to get a hole patched. Even when you talk to the Service Director it does not get done.
Drive down Gallia Street in Sciotoville where the Little Scioto River bridge is. Sidewalk approaches on both sides of the brides, should be about 5 feet wide, they are now 1 foot wide, dirt and grass has taken them over. The chain link fence on the south side of the bridge is falling down. Trees along the river bank have now grown over the bank and over the sidwalk and kids now walk in the street. The sidewalks directly on the bridge is covered with grass, 2 inchs of mud, poison ivy. Calls to the service department staring in April and nothing is done. Someone will be hit by a car here very soon, walking in the street.
They recently cut the grass on Gallia Street in Sciotoville after it reached 6 to 7 feet tall. They cut up all of the trash in the grass, it was blowing in the grass, sidewalks, streets. It looked like it snowed trash everywhere. The lawnmowers even through thousands of pieces of glass in the streets from glass bottles being cut up. They did no trimming the grass is still 6 feet tall around the fences and posts. When you leave that bridge, the sidewalk on the south side of the street from the bridge to the Sciotoville exit has 100% totally vanished in most areas, covered in grass. Calls made to service department, nothing done.
Leave New Boston, enter Portsmouth on U.S. 52 Gallia Street. When you enter Portsmouth, the sidewalk on the right is covered with dirt, trash, weeds, leaves. Nothing is ever done.
Why doesnt this concerened and caring mayor and do nothing service director form local "Adopt A Highway" groups ? Why dont they get prisoners from the court to clean it up ? That would take work and coordination, and there is no time, time must be spent on a new city building.
Why arent the Mayor and Service Director driving around this city themselves, up and down every street and taking notes of things that need to be done and knocking one thing out at a time ? 1 Project a week ? Because they dont care. The Mayor if he was doing his job, could see the service director was not doing his job, if he would drive up and down every street in this city and look around. No one should have to call 9 times for a hole to be patched or any other service.
Plus there are councilmen who could be out helping clean this mess up, but they are more concerened in having another election to try to keep the Mayor form of government. Only in Portsmouth do you keep putting issues on the ballot (City Buildings, Income Taxes, City Manager Form of Government) until you get the desired result to turn a previous election around.
Why dont all of these so called "developers" who care so much about this city go over and help this woman ? All of these money hungry developers trying to get the city building proper, who own hotels and apartments by Shawnee State go put some gloves on and help this woman ? Then you can get your name in the newspaper again and maybe your picture.
Why dont the Police and Fire go help her ? Hey the citizens of Portsmouth voted you caring boys an income tax increase so you could get a pay raise and have a better way of life. Where are you boys at ? More concerned about driving the Police cars home. Oh the Fire Station on the Hilltop got opened back up also before 1 penny of tax money was received, lets not forget, you guys mysteriously found some money.
This city is a dump, its worse than Detroit. Its a filth pit. Not one city council meeting since this Mayor took over, had their been any mention of recruiting jobs or industry. No new housing start plans, no plans for anything but city buildings.
No plans to get this city out of poverty. That can be achieved by citizens having a place to work. Tax money can be raised by industry and business within the city limits. Thats what a competent City Manager is hired for. This group in the city building now, has no clue how to pick up trash, let alone recruit industry.