City Launches Aggressive Anti-Weed Campaign
Officials threaten property owners with assessments if they do not clear fire-hazardous brush from vacant lots.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The city officials have inaugurated a vigorous campaign against the noxious weeds which have overgrown most of the vacant lots in Kennewick. Property owners are being served with notices that if weeds are not cut within ten days, the city will do the work and assess the expense against the property. A vacant lot adorned with a miscellaneous growth of Russian thistle, Jim Hill mustard, and Chinese lettuce is a flagrant eyesore. Beyond aesthetics, the foliage is drying up and creating fire traps that put the entire city at risk. Pride alone should encourage owners to clean up, but if that fails, safety demands it.
“A lighted match, a cigar or cigarette stump carelessly tossed among the weeds may result in the loss of many thousands of dollars to the property owners of the city.”
Every generation of city council members faces the same battle with property owners over lot maintenance and fire safety. This 1914 weed crackdown echoes modern municipal code enforcement efforts.
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