Waterbury was tearing down trouble on Tuesday, to battle the blight that has plagued many of its neighborhoods.
Three homes on Cossett Street were demolished and neighbors told NBC Connecticut it was a blessing. “I started clapping it's about time,” said neighbor Rodney Butler. These homes were vacant for at least a decade.
Neighbors said the homeless moved into those places, and the eyesores have attracted a lot of crime. “You got people in there stealing the copper you don't know what kind of people are coming out of there you got drug paraphernalia needles and bags,” Butler added.
Neighbors said the kids in the area have been their biggest concern because they play just feet away from these problem properties. They have been exposed to the drug problems and much more. “They want to go in there and play they go in there the floors could be all rotted out they could fall and get hurt,” Butler said.
“It’s a top priority issue were going to put the resources into this to take back neighborhood by neighborhood and get this city looking presentable again,” said Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary. The Mayor has been fighting for improvement the last few months.
Seven abandoned homes have been torn down this year, compared to five all of last year. “Blighted properties in Waterbury have become problem north, south, east, and west, and we're focusing on starting to take one neighborhood at a time,” added Mayor O’Leary.
His goal has been to replace this rubble with new homes or parks, and neighbors told NBC Connecticut they were anxious for new scenery, and restoring the quality of life. “Bring something new something better, something clean then we can have a place for kids to walk up and down the street and be safe at,” said Rodney Butler.
Local
It costs the city around thirty thousand dollars to tear down a home. The funds are set aside in the budget for this specific purpose. The city is also demolishing them in bulk to save taxpayers money.
