News at Watonga Republican!

The new editor at the Watonga Republican newspaper, Eric Warsinsky, brings a fresh, energetic attitude to Watonga. 

Code enforcement and the cleaning up of Watonga has been a hot topic in City Council meetings for several months now.  It has been said many times "other cities are facing the same problems".  Yes, they are.  But some towns are trying to deal with it instead of making excuses for allowing it to continue. 
There was a recent story in The Oklahoman about "Reviving Neighborhoods" by staffwriter William Crum (Aug. 18 issue, Page 10A).  If you can get your hands on it, it provides a look into how  Oklahoma City is dealing with the issue in a positive way.  The article points out the negative impact blighted properties have on a community, both economically and emotionally.   Mr. Crum  writes "...a vacant, poorly maintained house suppresses economic development and is a property rights issue for everyone around it."  The article also mentions some of the benefits to the community that come from code enforcement and efforts to reclaim blighted properties:  bringing  tax dollars to the City in addition to utility income; maintaining property values; bringing families into revived homes and customers into neighborhood businesses.  The positive effects of good code enforcement have been pointed out at City Council meetings, but the City's response up until recently has been that "it will cost us."  The article in The Oklahoman stresses that NOT keeping up on code enforcement costs the town and its residents even more in the long run!  The problem cannot be fixed overnight -- it will take some time and ongoing effort for sure.  But we have to start somewhere and soon.  Oklahoma City spent almost $100,000.00 for a study analyzing the impact of vacant and abandoned buildings. The article can be found on-line at NewsOK.com and search for "vacant properties."      

/Linda