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Highlands Today

Determined Neighbors Can Make A Big Difference

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By None Selected

Published: November 8, 2007

A lot of people are jaded these days, believing that they cannot affect change for the better. One group of people, though, didn't buy into that and made a big change in their own neighborhood.

We congratulate the residents who campaigned for the county to provide code enforcement to Viking Village near Lake Placid. They were organized, determined and worked hard to make sure the rundown, trashy mobile homes were dealt with. It wasn't easy, though.

Plenty of hours were spent contacting people and getting the ball rolling. They found what they needed when April Harseil, Highlands County interim lead code enforcement officer, took the matter to heart and issued warnings to the property's owner. The thought of daily fines apparently convinced him to do something, although the cleanup project is far from complete. But at least improvements are being made.

There are plenty of neighborhoods throughout the county that need improvement, if neighbors would just band together to make it happen. What it takes is teamwork, organization and strong work ethic. Even the worst neighborhoods can be revitalized and improved, but it's not easy, and people have to step up and get busy.

It's always a mystery when a blighted area is ignored by homeowners in the area who seem to accept such things. Worse yet, they often complain a lot but no one wants to do the work to affect change. Often they expect everyone else, specifically city and county government, to do all the work. A neighborhood can't change if the people living there aren't willing to commit to the task.

Kudos to the neighbors who sparked the cleanup of Viking Village. Perhaps they will inspire others to do the same.

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