In some of the cases, the folks who have owned the property highlighted have taken steps to clean up their properties; we and their neighbors are appreciative of their actions.

Some have done nothing and don’t intend to do anything to clean up their property.

We have a beautiful county and city that we live in; its beauty can be matched with any area in the state. If you take the time to drive around the county, you will see that a majority of the folks who live here take great pride in their property and land.

The minority who don’t should be ashamed of piling up junk on open property or not providing upkeep to empty buildings.

We would like to see both the county and city government take more stringent measures to control this blight, measures with teeth that can be enforced.

It is important to do so — there are many things that businesses or people looking to relocate to Newton County have to consider. In addition to checking schools and the business climate that exists, they look at the pride that people have and show for their homes and property.

We respect the right of landowners to do what they wish to do with their own property, but those same landowners have a responsibility to show respect to their neighbors and their community.

We will continue to run the Eyesores of the Week until we don’t have to; we look forward to that time.