GATESVILLE, TX — While several Central Texas cities hold so-called "spring cleaning" events this time of year, city leaders in one town decided to take aim at blighted streets and areas.
Lots of people in Gatesville hope the town's code enforcement crackdown will strengthen the neighborhood.
Justin McDuff will soon take ownership of a Gatesville home, and he has a lot of pride in his purchase.
"We've got good neighbors in now, and some, we're tryin', we're tryin' hard to keep this block and this little neighborhood decent," said McDuff.
He has one problem, the abandoned house next door.
Its broken windows, piles of trash and tall grass take away from what neighbors have worked so hard to have.
That's why the City of Gatesville is stepping in to lend a helping hand by offering some tough enforcement of the city's municipal codes.
"We have building violations, we have tall grass, lots of junk vehicles, just a bunch of metal junk... more than we thought we'd find in Gatesville,” said Gatesville Code Enforcement Officer Kory Walters.
For weeks, Walters has traveled the town's streets and said property owners need to clean up, or face a ticket.
The crackdown should come as no surprise to folks in Gatesville. City leaders let citizens know at their own spring cleaning almost a month ago.
"This isn't something we just want to do on one end of the city. We want to get off the main beaten path, take in the backstreets and clean the entire city up," said Nathan Gohlke, the Gatesville Police Department Chief of Police.
Property owners will have to clean up trash, debris and fix their homes, or face stiff fines and penalties.
Justin McDuff said the crackdown didn't come soon enough.
"I think it's great that they're out here doing it. It needs to be done. There's a lot of houses that either need to be fixed or torn down,” McDuff said.
