Our View: Fighting blight should be Havre's top priority

The city of Havre may be ready to embark on one of the most important projects it has undertaken in years.

The city wants to see what it can do to eliminate or at least reduce a blight.

A growing number of apartment buildings, and in some cases commercial buildings, are deteriorating, and city business and political leaders want to stop the spread of this kind of unsightly blight.

The problem should not be overstated, Most of downtown Havre and the city’s neighborhoods are well-kept and tidy. It looks welcoming to visitors and Havreites alike. But it is easy to see how blight can spread fast. If a property falls into abject disrepair, neighbors will begin to wonder why they spend their time and money to keep their property in good shape.

One deteriorating property can destroy property values and morale throughout a neighborhood. It won’t be long before ugly properties spread to become ugly neighborhoods.

More buildings that once housed middle-class and even upper-middle class apartments have deteriorated. In some cases they are minimally cared for apartments. In other places, they have been abandoned, left to rot.

This is awful because it leads to the impression that Havre is a city on the decline — an impression that is way off base.

And what’s worse, everyone seems to agree that there is a need for housing in the city — all kinds of apartments and houses are needed.

Havre has always been the kind of place that if you are hired as a mail clerk and rise to become CEO, there is always a place for you to live in the city. But today people at all income levels report that they are having a hard time getting housing.

We don’t pretend to be experts in how to finance housing improvements, but it does seem that fixing or replacing the present housing stock would be the best way to meet the demand on the marketplace.

Many, but certainly not all, of the dilapidated properties are owned by out-of-town and often out-of-state property tycoons who have no stake in Havre and its future.

It seems to us that property owners, no matter where they reside, would be better off if their buildings were located in clean, safe, attractive neighborhoods, but many existing landowners don’t seem to agree.

That’s where our community needs to get involved.

What should be community do?

Some have suggested that public pressure is one answer. Sometimes. But do California corporations that couldn’t find Havre without GPS care about letters to the editor?

Certainly stricter city code enforcement would be great. But city officials say they already have headaches from banging their heads against the wall.

Some property owners apparently feel that they can afford expensive lawyers to fight the city’s enforcement efforts but can’t afford to clean up their properties.

It’s sad the city can crack down on property owners who don’t mow their lawns, but are stymied in efforts to get owners to stop the roof from falling in.

Property owners have rights, but so do neighbors. So do neighborhood kids who may wander into the abandoned houses.

There are questions as to what Havre, a non-charter city, can do to remedy the problem. Havre residents who want to stop of spread of blight have a tough road ahead of them. For every answer, there are three questions. There are no easy choices. But the city and its residents should start right away a massive community discussion.

Putting our heads together, we can come up with solutions.

In the coming month, the pages of this newspaper will be used to encourage discussions on these problems and what we can do about it.

Got some ideas? Let’s hear them.

Let's hear your idea

Do you have opinions on what the city can do to eliminte blight? Send your thoughts in a letter to the editor to [email protected] or mail to Havre Daily News, 119 2nd St., Havre, MT 59501