To The Editor:
There are a large number of such properties within the City of Dillon. You may have seen them and wondered why the City allows them to remain that way. Well, they don’t if they know about it.
There is a city ordinance that addresses this problem. And, the Mayor, City Council, and City administration have been taking a proactive approach to the problem. Properties are being placed on a Condemnation List, the property owner is notified by certified mail of the situation, and the “Notification of Unsafe Building” is placed in the classified ad section of The Dillon Herald. The property owner has at least 60 days to contact the Code Enforcement Office and take steps toward improvements.
To identify a building currently on the Condemnation List, you should see a large notice posted on the structure with dates and other information. If it’s not there, then nothing is being done. So, if you have vacant dilapidated structures within your neighborhood and want something done about them, call Benny Genwright, Code Enforcement Officer, at 774-0040. He has the authority to initiate action against any property that violates the City’s ordinance.
I want to thank the City of Dillon staff and employees for making significant progress on this issue. I encourage them to stay-the-course because it will take continuous action to move even further within the coming months/years.
I encourage the City Council members to keep this subject of their personal agendas. At the City Council meetings, there is always discussion about the budget, the Wellness Center, new businesses/ jobs, the Golf Course, new ordinances, city projects, etc. These are stressed as being things that are improvements to our quality of life. I totally agree with that, but what about the appearance of our housing and neighborhoods. Aren’t they just as important?
Willie J. Bethea
PO Box 71
Dillon, S.C. 29536