Bingham advocates for demolition and restoration in local neighborhoods

On Monday, at the Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting in Vicksburg, Gregory E. Bingham went before the Board to discuss demolition regarding abandoned and dilapidated houses, particularly in the 2400 and 2500 blocks of Pearl and Oak St.

Bingham lives on Lover’s Lane, but he has been restoring the Thrift-Kain house on 2530 Oak St. According to his letter to the Board, he has “invested in excess of $250,000 and three years of full time work in the community.”

“What happens when a dilapidated and abandoned house is removed,?” Bingham asked the Board before providing an answer.

In the three years I’ve been here I get the sense that there’s a hesitation to move forward with demolition, and that’s understandable… That’s someone’s home that has provided shelter to families, and I get that. “

“My purpose today is to inspire you, to inspire everyone that good things happen when you move forward with demolition,” expressed Bingham before showing some of the work he had done via PowerPoint. He showed a photo of his garden which occupies the spot where a structure was demolished and told about meeting Wyatt Waters who noticed and painted some of his Hollyhock flowers. “Good things happen,” Bigham noted.

Bingham then showed several pictures of dilapidated houses in the area in question, including 2517 Pearl. This property according to Bingham shows many signs of abandonment, including a door left ajar.

Having spoken to house owners, Bingham noted how they are often caught between a rock (sentimentality or obligation to the property) and a hard place (lack of resources to properly provide upkeep for said property). Meanwhile, “they know all they have to do is mow the grass,” said Bingham, speaking of the apparent minimal legal obligation of the owners concerning their properties.”

Beyond exposing that apparent legal loophole, Bingham reiterated that his main goal was to inspire people that “moving towards demolition can have some positive results.”