A Cincinnati transportation official is promising to "tidy up" some vacant buildings the city owns along West Martin Luther King Drive between Hopple and Dixmyth.
The city is purchasing some 30 properties for a West MLK road project. But funds to pay for it won't be available in 2016.
Transportation and Engineering Director Michael Moore said the city will be addressing some pressing building issues.
“You’ve seen a lot of the windows stolen out of the upper levels, and you see blinds and curtains fluttering in the breeze and that’s what looks so awful when you drive the street today,” Moore said. “We’ve contacted our property maintenance contractor and we will have them immediately secure not only the first floors but also the second floors, and re-secure whatever methods that people are getting into those today.”
The city is working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to get funding to demolish the buildings. That work could begin in late February or early March.
The $15 million MLK West project includes wider travel lanes, a grass median, and eliminates on-street parking.
