City calls downtown blighted slum

It is not often a city council will openly call its own downtown a blighted slum, but Dayton’s council did and even took a vote on it. However, it was for good reason. The city is applying for a grant of $350,000.

The city wants to apply for a community block grant that will provide most of the funding needed for new sidewalks and other improvements downtown. The grant is available for only such areas as are considered blighted, so the city council passed a resolution saying downtown is blighted.

Everything between North Winfree Street and Highway 321, south of Depot Street and north of Sterling Street is now officially a slum.

The council also passed ordinances forbidding anyone from digging through another person’s trash put at the curb for pick up, forbidding the parking of recreational vehicles on public streets for more than 2 hours, and forbidding camping on public property without a permit.

Dayton now has a juvenile curfew. No one under 18 years old may be out between 12 and 6 a.m. without a parent or guardian. There are exceptions to this to accommodate school or church outings, emergencies, etc.