I did a story for Newswatch 16 several years ago in the area around Franklin St., Spruce St., and Mifflin Ave. Weeds had grown out of control. I called the mayor. He said he wasn't sure if it was the city or the property owner's responsibility, but the city would fix it. He was true to his word. By the way, the property owner is the state. The weedy sidewalks are adjacent to the Career Link office, the place formerly known as the unemployment office.
I was driving past the other morning, and history was repeating itself. Once again, the area had become a jungle, with weeds approaching the height of the parking meters.
The above photos were taken Thursday morning. Let's look at the map for a second. The forest of weeds is only a block away from the Mall at Steamtown, and just a few blocks away from the Steamtown National Historic Site.
Now, let's look at the calendar. The photo was taken just before the start of the long Independence Day weekend, a time when thousands of visitors will be here to shop, look at the trains, and attend a weekend philharmonic concert and festival on Courthouse Square.
What would it take? A city worker and a weed whacker could take care of the problem in a half hour. I can understand a problem slipping through the cracks from time to time. But, this has happened before, and there's no reason for a repeat occurrence.
