Positive Results From "Spring CLEAN" Initiative
Wednesday, June 26th, 2024
As summer starts, it's clear that the City of Dalton's "Spring CLEAN" has paid off. The "CLEAN" Initiative - short for "Creating Lively Environments and Neighborhoods" - started in April and has led to improvements and striking changes in the project area.
Caption: A before and after comparison of a home on Straight Street, one of the successful cases from the "Spring CLEAN" Initiative. The property owner replaced worn blue siding with new siding, replaced window trim, and replaced the roof after being contacted by City officials
"As far as the outcome, it exceeded my expectations as far as what work was done and really exceeded my expectations as far as how willing people were to clean up the property," said Dan Lewallen, an inspector from the City of Dalton's Code Enforcement Unit. "I think so far we’ve made it through without having to issue any citations at all."
The initiative was modeled after successful projects in other communities such as the "5 X 5" program in Macon, Georgia. In that project, City leaders identified areas of focus that measured five city blocks by five city blocks - thus the "5 X 5" name - and devoted public and private attention and resources on bringing the area back up to code.
Caption: A before and after comparison of another property on Straight Street, where a dilapidated old fence was removed and repairs were made to the house
In Dalton, the "Spring CLEAN" focused on the area surrounding the Mack Gaston Community Center - bordered by Fields Avenue to the east, Henderson Street to the west, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the north, and Morris Street to the south. The City focused its efforts on identifying property-related issues such as maintenance and upkeep and most importantly, safety issues for residents. The Code Enforcement Unit inspected properties and made contact with owners when code violations were found. Code inspectors also offered to connect property owners with resources to help resolve the problems, with agencies such as Believe Greater Dalton, Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Hope, and others available to help. Dalton's Public Works Department also participated, offering special "trash amnesty days" to pick up accumulated rubbish and debris items located on properties which normally cannot be collected at the curb.
The focus area covered 140 residential, commercial, and industrial property parcels. The Code Enforcement Unit identified 98 cases in the area. Some of those issues were small violations such as having high grass or inoperable vehicles on properties. Others were more complex, like a property on Straight Street where a resident ended up replacing siding and window trims along with replacing the roof.
"For the most part, people got to work on things pretty quick," Lewallen said. "Some of the projects like the one on Straight Street were pretty big remodels to the exterior so it took them some time to do it."
Getting buildings and properties back to their best doesn't just improve one property, it improves an entire neighborhood. The City of Dalton started the "CLEAN" Initiative with the goal of not just improving the appearance of some of Dalton's founding neighborhoods but also improving the quality of life for the people who live there.
Caption: A before and after comparison of a property on McAfee Street, where a property owner improved siding, railings, windows, and more
"The City of Dalton is about 175 years old, and some of our foundational neighborhoods are maybe not quite that old but homes and buildings can be 100 years old or more," City Administrator Andrew Parker said in April. "It's a quality of life issue to bring those great neighborhoods back to their former glory."
With the success of the "Spring CLEAN", the City of Dalton plans to focus on other areas of the City with "CLEAN" projects in the future.
