Harlem property owners should attend meetings on historic districts

Editor:

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Residents and property owners in Harlem should have received a letter from the city of Harlem advising you of two meetings to be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Harlem Middle School Auditorium, for participation in the process of the designation of Harlem's Historic District 1.

This is to be a question-and-answer session for owners of historic properties in the proposed areas and/or non-historic properties within the proposed district. This is the property owners' opportunity to find out what this is all about. For those who haven't been attending other meetings of the commission, once again, shame on you. Don't assume that this doesn't really have anything to do with you and your property.

My property is just that, mine, and I am capable of making the decisions I want to make when dealing with changes and upkeep to my property

... I have lived in this town for 50-plus years, and my observation is that the majority of the citizens in this town respect their friends and neighbors to the point that they would not do anything to their property that would create discord among them. You are always going to have a few people who don't care what their property looks like, or if their neighbors care, but you can always put up a privacy fence to cut off the view from your yard. Oops; I forgot - only if the "commission" approves your request to do so.

If the city enforced existing ordinances that are supposed to deal with those few, and leave the decision-making regarding all our other good citizens' properties to the citizens (property owners), we would all be just fine. Please attend one of the upcoming meetings.

Brenda Sanford

Harlem