Saginaw, Mich., is a city with a shrinking population of 50,000 residents, down from a peak of 100,000 a half century ago, but the 8-square-mile land mass had not shrunk. Cleanup crews in Saginaw this year expect to perform more than 7,000 cutting jobs on abandoned vacant lots and unmowed yards that surround rundown unoccupied houses, officials say. This amounts to approximately one cleanup job for every seven men, women and children.
Saginaw is typical of hard-hit communities, especially the auto industry towns, in Michigan's struggling economic times. Eyesores exist even in formerly prosperous neighborhoods, while inner-city areas are more than 50 percent abandoned. Cynics have nicknamed the town "Saginasty" or "Saginam," even "Little Detroit."
In fact, those 7,000 cleanups will mark a major increase from the 2,100 tasks that were carried out as recently as four years ago.
Saginaw now has 4,000 abandoned properties, nearly triple the 1,400 that existed in 2007. Obviously, the comparative numbers indicate t hat some will be mowed only once during the entire warm-weather season.
"Just this year, within the city, we had 500 more properties that became tax-reverted and we had 824 foreclosures. It's almost unbelievable how fast this continues to expand," says Jeff Klopcic, the city's technical services director, who oversees the weed-cutgting efforts.
A trio of three-member crews are assigned to Saginaw's 338 acres of parks and boulevards. This is the same as four years ago.
However, Klopcic notes that the number of crews for abandoned properties is increased to six, up from two in 2007.
A property becomes in violation of city codes when weeds and grass grow beyond 9 inches high. City Council members during the past decade lowered the limit from the previous 12 inches in what they described as an effort to do something about the problem. However, with limited funds and crews, some properties grow 48 inches and beyond before they are cut.
"We cannot start early," Klopcic says, "because the limit is 9 inches. When we reach the point that a single property is in violation, then all of a sudden they're all in violation at once."
Critical residents ask why the city fails to keep the grass cut, but Klopcic notes, "We aren't talking about cutting lawns. We have to bring in the heavy equipment."
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