Gripped in poverty, with some people
struggling to survive on low-paying jobs, Arco has been tarred as a place where
drug dealers roam and condemned mill houses rot.
But it wasn’t always that way.
Born and raised in Brunswick, Glynn
County Commissioner Howard Lynn remembers when Arco was a safe, family-oriented
community.
On the northwest edge of Brunswick,
it is generally considered to be bounded on the south by 5th Street, north by
Community Road, east by Altama Avenue and west by Turtle River.
“I’ve seen it when it was a beautiful
area,” Lynn said Wednesday.
But as was inevitable, as the
community’s economy and make-up changed, the area changed. People moved farther
away in all directions to get away from nearby industry.
“In the mid-1960s, it began to die
out and property owners turned it into rental property and then it began to fall
apart,” Lynn said.
The county is trying to do something
about that through a joint effort that includes police, fire, building code
enforcement and public works departments.
Gone are the days of blind eyes, Lynn
said.
“We’re going to stop the drug dealing
and prostitution one way or another, even if it means completely filling our
jails,” Lynn said.
Criminals aren’t the only targets of
the initiative. Police and code enforcement officers are issuing citations to
residents who have trash and junk vehicles in their yards.
“We have already done six weeks of
unannounced, very active law enforcement in the area, making arrests for
prostitution and drugs,” Glynn County Chief of Police Matt Doering said.
“Now we are issuing citations for
violations of county ordinances.”
By Monday, police had issued 30
tickets.
“We hope to see the clean up of yards
and public properties and alleyways,” Doering said. “By enforcement and enhanced
surveillance, we want to catch people who are offending and get people to clean
up their private property pursuant to county ordinances so that the neighborhood
is cleaner and healthier for people to live and work in.”
Glynn County Fire Chief Al Thomas
said his department is doing its part. The department is inspecting properties
for fire hazards and condemning old and abandoned structures that are vacant and
in need of repair.
What's wrong
Glynn County officials say the most
common property violations in Arco are:
• Junk vehicles in yards.
• Vehicles on residential property
without tag and registration.
• Mattresses, old appliances and
household items being left outdoors.
• Yards overgrown with high grass or
weeds.
• Houses in need of repair.
• Old tires left on public property,
sides of roads or alleyways.
• Construction without a building
permit.
• Debris, rubbish and trash that pose a
fire hazard.
To report violations, call 554-7445
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“We’re first giving the owners of the
properties that are condemned (an opportunity) to repair the structures or bring
them back to safe condition, or we will have them demolished,” Thomas said.
“When dilapidated houses are vacant they can be used for illegal activities like
drugs and prostitution.”
This week, employees with all three
departments are walking up and down streets in Arco making inspections and
handing out pamphlets to residents.
Those who receive citations have 30
days to correct problems. If they comply, then the citation – which includes a
fine – will be reduced to a warning.
Glynn County police officer David
Udulutch, who has been on bike patrol and issuing citations and passing out
pamphlets since Monday, said the community’s response has been mostly positive.
“Most people, even the ones who have
received citations, say they are glad that an effort is being made to help clean
up the neighborhood,” he said Tuesday.
Police said they expect the
initiative to last three months.
