City to explain codes at fair

Our Community Our Responsibility is the theme of the Code Enforcement Public Fair, scheduled for Tuesday at the Aquatic/Community Center in the Rods & Relics Hall.

Several city agencies, including the Code Enforcement Division, Keep Havasu Beautiful Organization, Animal Control, Allied Waste Management, the Mohave County Health Department and Neighborhood Watch Program, will be on hand between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to help explain their services and procedures to Lake Havasu City residents.

Code Enforcement Supervisor Janice Sorenson said each group is basically looking to make a presentation then will break out into individual stations at various booths.

“It’s really an educational workshop,” Sorenson said. “We really want to have a great big turnout.”

This is the first fair, and Code Enforcement is looking to make it an annual event in order to keep residents up-to-date on various codes and the everyday activities of each of the various agencies that will be on-hand.

Some of the topics Sorenson said Code Enforcement would be addressing are the basic processes of Code Enforcement, topics such as signs, garage sales, the anti-graffiti program and an upcoming cleanup program for the washes in the city.

“The washes is a big problem we run into,” she said. “People dump illegally in the washes, and there is not any specific entity that can clean up the washes.”

Code Enforcement will also look at current ordinances in codes, addressing what they mean and to whom they apply.

Each of the agencies is scheduled to give about a 10- to 15-minute presentation.

Sorenson said the agencies would address some of the general issues each handles and what residents need to do if they have questions regarding concerns, such as barking dogs, trash pickup, green pools and pigeon feeding.

The hope is that these agencies would be able to better explain their functions.

“They will address anything pertinent, things they do address and the things they don’t address,” Sorenson said.

She also noted the Neighborhood Watch is looking for more volunteers and will offer attendees the opportunity to sign up. Sorenson said Neighborhood Watch is a bigger operation than most people realize, and it is something she would really like to push at Tuesday’s public fair.

The topics addressed will not be limited. After the presentations are complete, residents will have the opportunity to speak firsthand with representatives from each agency. Sorenson said residents could also voice their opinions and concerns anonymously by dropping them in a complaint and suggestion box.

Entry is free, and the fair is being presented at no cost to the city. In fact, Sorenson said they had no budget for the event and relied completely on donations from Smith’s Food and Drug Stores, WM Grace Contractors, Sanders Sweeping and the Bagel Café to provide food and beverages for attendees.

“We really want to send a big thank you to all those people, because that is a great thing,” Sorenson said. “We’re going to have a nice little spread there.”

Residents are encouraged to send questions and topics they would like to hear discussed to Code Enforcement.

They may contact Janice Sorenson via e-mail at sorensonj@lhcaz.gov or call (928) 453-4148.

You may contact the reporter at twaggoner@havasunews.com.