City Council condemns 20 properties

Ward 3 Alderwoman Spivey steps down, Henry sworn in

The El Dorado City Council moved yesterday to add 20 abandoned properties to the city’s condemnation list.

Three property owners on the list are shown as residing at the condemned properties. Mayor Frank Hash and Ward 3 Alderman Willie McGhee expressed concerns about whether those properties were occupied. Code Enforcement Officer Kirby Craig said that those were the last known addresses of the owners, but that the houses were not being lived in.

Hash asked if there was any other way of contacting the owners, but Kirby said that there was not.

Once a vacant property has been deemed a nuisance, the city sends a certified letter to the owner’s last known address and posts a 30-day notice on the property. The letter tells owners that they have 30 days to bring – or make a good faith effort to bring – the property up to code.

If the city does not hear from the property owner within 30 days, the property is recommended for condemnation.

Properties that were condemned by the Council Thursday and their reasons for removal are:

905 S. Smith; unsanitary and unsafe

906 S. Smith; unsanitary and unsafe

617 Robert E. Lee; obnoxious and unsafe

504 Redbud; obnoxious and unsafe

1009 Craig; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsanitary

809 Union; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

1005 East Ave.; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

911 Ouachita; dilapidated, obnoxious, unsafe and unsanitary

917 Rock Island; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

715 Cook; dilapidated and obnoxious

1200 Buchanan; unsafe and obnoxious

812 Spring; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

915 Rock Island; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

1009 East Ave.; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

714 Ouachita; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

313 Kinard; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

503 Kinard; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

517 Kinard; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

604 S. College;dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

606 S. College; dilapidated, obnoxious and unsafe

The properties that shared a last known address with their owners were 617 Robert E. Lee, 917 Rock Island and 1200 Buchanan.

Also during the meeting, Kensel Spivey stepped down from her seat as the Ward 3, position 2 alderwoman. She will be getting married this month and moving out of Ward 3.

“I would like to thank you all, Mayor Hash and the rest of the Council, for taking me in and helping me learn the ropes … And, more importantly, to the residents of Ward 3 for trusting me to represent you all,” Spivey said as she formally announced her resignation.

“I’ve really enjoyed being on the Council. I’ve learned a lot and I was able to help a lot of people,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed being able to help people and being able to work with other Council members for the good of El Dorado.”

Hash presented Spivey with a plaque commemorating her accomplishments as the first African-American woman to serve on the El Dorado City Council. Before Alderman-elect Tony Henry was sworn in, McGhee, Spivey’s Ward 3 counterpart, said a few words about working with her.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Ms. Spivey. … I definitely think I’m the muscle and she’s the brains, [so] we’ve worked well together,” McGhee said.

City Clerk Heather McVay swore Henry in with Spivey by his side.

“We passed the torch last time, we’ll pass it again,” Henry said, as he and Spivey posed for a photo before the meeting ended.