Columbus City Council discusses clean up plan for blighted properties

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s a long-term problem that’s going to require a long-term solution, but some people think it’s taking too long to get started.

The City of Columbus has around $3.5 million in federal funds to clean up blighted properties, but before the work can start, there are steps that have to be taken.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Council approved hiring Wagner Engineering to conduct an environmental study.

200 areas have been identified around the city, and it’s obvious that the current cash isn’t going to cover them all.

So, the contractors and the council want to identify the areas where they can get the most bang for the buck.

Since they are using federal money, city leaders also have to make sure to dot all the “i’s” and cross all the “t’s”.

And they’re asking residents to be patient with the process.

“So, this is an important thing we’re trying to do, but as Jammie mentioned, it doesn’t happen overnight, and especially when we’re going for grant dollars, which we’re getting very aggressive in that, you don’t do that overnight either, and none of us have the expertise to do all of that. We have to work with other companies and engineers and different professionals to get this and get it done right,” said Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin.

The city originally requested $6 million in funding, and they are applying for more grant money to expand the program.

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