WARREN, Ark. – In a special called meeting on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, the Warren City Council convened to address a pressing matter related to a property located at 1720 West Pine Street in Warren. The meeting, held at the Warren Municipal Building at 5:00 pm, saw the participation of several aldermen and was presided over by Mayor Gregg Reep.
Present at the meeting were Aldermen Emily Moseley, Angela Marshall, Memory Burks Frazer, and Dorothy Henderson. Absent were Joel Tolefree and Latanza Atkins.
The primary focus of the meeting was the property at 1720 West Pine Street, which had been the subject of concern. Building Official Rob Johnson informed the council that an official letter had been sent to the property owners in July 2023, notifying them that the property did not comply with local building codes and required immediate attention. The owners were granted a window of time to rectify the situation, which ultimately expired on August 14.
The property includes a small home with a large amount of loose items and junk surrounding the entire structure.
To address this issue, the city had an existing ordinance in place, which called for the cleanup of the property. Johnson had personally engaged with the property’s owners, who expressed a desire to preserve the house rather than having it torn down.
The proposal put forth by the administration Tuesday evening included the removal of all debris and a thorough cleanup of the property. Additionally, the house was slated to be boarded up. The estimated cost of these actions was pegged at a range of $3,000 to $4,000. Furthermore, a lien would be placed on the property to recover the expenses incurred during the cleanup.
During the meeting, Alderman Dorothy Henderson made a motion to proceed with the cleanup, allocating up to $4,000 for the project while avoiding the demolition of the house. Memory Burks-Frazer seconded this motion, and it was carried unanimously.
Rob Johnson also noted a concerning issue regarding the property. Although people had been occupying it, they were currently trespassing without permission from the owners. Mayor Gregg Reep stressed that anyone found trespassing on the property would be subject to arrest.
In the final vote, the proposal to proceed with the cleanup and associated costs, as outlined, was approved unanimously by a vote of 4-0 in favor.