Nyla Small, acting Director of Georgetown’s Housing Authority has decided to have the Authority’s maintenance crew mow all lawns under the authority’s control, at least in the Scroggins Park area. No justification has been provided publicly. Now, on the surface, this action might seem beneficial for Scroggins Park residents, but it is not. For many years, maintenance crews have performed lawn mowing for the elderly and disabled, for whom said service is obviously advantageous. However, Ms. Small has also decided that there will be a thirty dollar fee for removal of items left in the yards of those whose lawns are to be mowed. This will amount to a minimum of one hundred twenty dollars per month for residents who have “items” on their lawn. Items may include lawn furniture or the forgotten child’s toy.
I may not have up-to-date information with which to work, but I believe that the average assistance for Park residents is probably around a thousand dollars, with some getting as little as six hundred. Still, Ms. Small wants to take as much as 20% from the already poor so that she can have a spotless, no furnishings, no decorations, no plants, and, certainly, no children’s toys, lawnscape in her Authority. Scroggins Park residents have done a decent job of maintaining their own lawns from what I have seen. Some have even put in time, money, and effort to improve the overall appearance. Why does Ms. Small want to take that self-expression from her residents?
Ms. Small offers this blanket service wresting freedom and some measure of self-determination from her residents, giving them no option to maintain their own lawns. In this move, Ms. Small takes some of the dignity that certain residents enjoyed in maintaining their lawns and even winning awards for their previous efforts. No justification has been offered, and Ms. Small has said that she can’t understand the upset, as the Authority is doing everything they can for everybody. I would posit that this attitude is much akin to the Conquistadors wondering why the Americans were upset for the new landscape, for which they were forced to pay, brought upon them.
This new Housing Authority policy is government run amok. The policy promotes uniformity where diversity should be permitted. This policy should be abandoned as it unnecessarily infringes upon freedom in the one place a person should most expect to be free- the home. It is, philosophically, an extension of the conservative homogeneity practice by which the common good is touted as an excuse to undermine the very principles of liberty and freedom on which America is supposedly founded. This policy of enforced lawn care is draconian, totalitarian, and fascist. Though it is evident that the matter may be perceived as trivial, the underlying attitude revealed is one that must be addressed. This is not a good-natured attempt to help; it is an ill-mannered attempt to control.
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7 comments:
Hi
as a resident of 16 years of the Georgetown Housing Authority i fill that we have the right to mow our own lawns and the ones that do not should be charged the 30 dollars. i have mowed my yard for 16 years and i do not want housing to mow my yard to cut it to the dirt and leaving it looking like a hay feild. myself and six other resdients have stated this to Nyla Small at a meeting on July 14 2008 at 1pm .her reply was.I have made an executive decision your yards will be mowed. it has took 11 years to get people to take pride in their yards now they are giving up on it. saying why bother if housing is going to make it look like dirt and hayfeilds.WE WHERE GIVING 12 HOURS to remove everything from behing and around our units.some residents through away Toys/swingsets/riding mowers/ball goals/lawn funiture to keep from getting charged th 30 dollars this is not fair to us to be made to set back and be done this way and no one will stop this WHO CAN HELP US ON THIS????
NYLA SMALL IS A PART OF THE POWER HUNGRY, SELF RIGHTEOUS GOOD OLD GIRLS BUT HER TIME WILL BE UP SOONER THAN SHE THINKS. IT'S SO FUNNY BECAUSE SHE HAD ALREADY BEEN FIRED FROM THE ASHLAND HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR THE SAME THINGS SHE IS DOING NOW.FUNNY
I happen to be a resident at the georgetown housing authority and I have a huge problem with the way things are being run around here. First of all how did Nyla get this job considering she has been fired from other authorities one being Ashland who had an article in the newspaper on 3/6/2000. I find the yards to be just the beginning. We have been told we cannot have anything in our yards or we will be fined or it will be mowed down if it does not have a fence around it, They have mowed down several residents flowers in the past. I believe this has gone way to far as a resident, I would like to have the right to mow my own yard or have decorations if I so choose. She is now going to take over everything that we have worked so hard to achieve. I have spent alot of time and money on my yard for her to just waltz in here and tell me it has to be her way or no way. I have lived here for several years and have not had any complaints or been in any trouble as far as housing goes until now, It seems like everything I do she has a problem with, whether it be my canopy in my yard, my flowers, or just what ever. Today she sent a maintenance person to tell me I have 24 hours to take down my canopy witch is in my back yard, not bothering anything, not even killing the grass or anything, yet she has a problem with it. I believe this is because my name was in the newspaper as a tenant who was upset about them mowing our yards. Its almost like we live in prison because we have no say over anything not even our own yards, Whats next?
I definately agree with this article, Who does she think she is anyway to just walk in and start changing everything, I have a saying if it's not broke don't fix it.
As a resident of georgetown housing authority I feel like a prisoner, we are told that our yards will be mowed by the housing authority, we are not allowed to have any lawn furniture, and the kids bikes. I recieved a yard violation for having the kids bikes in the back yard. bikes, and just for the record, their was over 150 yard violations handed out that day.
I have recieved an award for the past few years, for the best kept yard, and as your article said we have spent un godly amounts of time ,sweat and money on our yard; flowers,shrubs, mower's and weedeaters, edgers and such to keep it nice.
Just where does miss Nyla Small get off takin our human right tomow our own yard, and to have lawn furniture, and childrens toys, plant flowers, and care for them, we where also told that if we have flowers shrubs, or tree's planted that anything that did not have a border around then ,then they would be mowed down, and that the housing authority would not replant or replace them.fair ?? I don't think so.
Ms. Nyla Small has been fired from her last 3 jobs and each one for do just cause, I have talked personally with all three of her last employer's personally.
Can anyone please tell me how in the hell this woman can even get a job taking out the trash, let alone here . I hope that this and many more comment's get posted. I'm going to spread the word about this blog.
P.S. I pay full flat rate rent....$600.00 a month. No assistance living here. I could just move ....but why this is home.I'm not moving and giving them the satisfaction. I just think that I should be able to mow my own damm yard.
thank you
Dreamer32
Nyla Small is only an acting director, who is oviusly not read her own hand book, acording to the state of kentucky OIG ...in case you don't know what that is office of the inspector general. She is only acting and as an acting director she is to oversee the day to day operations for six months, with no change's with out the housing authority's boards aproval. Not making it upon herself, I mean what's the use of a board if they are useing the veiw's of the residents? She is only acting she can't make anything stick untill she is pernament, the crazy thing is that the dumb ass bitch wrote the bylaws for Harry Dickerson, she knows them her self. I think that if enought of us stand up to her and the oig in louisville then we too like Ashland housing authority can get or have her fired.
thanks for this blog
I know its been over a year since this post, but I truly hope Small is long gone by now. I grew up on Debord Terrace which is ran by the Housing Authority of Ashland and remember her four years as director very well. She is indeed power hungry and attempts insane tactics. I dare ask if any long-time employees have lost their job, as many in Ashland did within weeks of her taking over back then. I truly hope she is gone.
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