Volunteers clean up Atlanta neighborhood

Every morning Brent Sobol drives past two dilapidated apartment complexes on his way to work in southwest Atlanta.

The two properties that straddle Alison Court have long been vacant, save for the occasional homeless person who takes refuge in the rundown units. Condoms, drug paraphernalia and gun casings line the parking lot.

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CHANDLER BROWN / cmbrown@ajc.com

Kenny Jones and Scott Boze load garbage into a truck Saturday morning at an abandoned condominium complex in southwest Atlanta.

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“It breaks my heart,” said Sobol, who owns and manages a well-kept apartment complex nearby. “This really is a good neighborhood. This is the only blight we have around here.”

Today, it’s a little easier on the eyes. Saturday morning, about 40 volunteers — led by Sobol — cleaned up the complexes, formerly known as Jewel Point and Cornerstone Apartments. They hauled away three Dumpsters full of furniture and trash, boarded up windows and secured an aging fence around part of the property.

“Giving back to the community like this, it gives me instant gratification,” said volunteer Sharae Norman. “It makes me feel good in the pit of my soul.”

About two years ago, all of the apartments-turned-condos at the two communities went into foreclosure, Sobol said. Soon after, the residents were either evicted or moved out on their own.

More recently, Sobol said, the abandoned buildings have become home to squatters and drug dealers. Last month, someone was shot to death outside one of the buildings. Atlanta police recently arrested workers of a nearby gas station for selling alcohol to minors. Two buildings have burned — one last year, one last week.

Sobol said city officials agreed to help clean up the condemned properties earlier this year but later said they ran out of money. The city did donate the Dumpsters and provided an Atlanta police officer for security during Saturday’s clean-up. City council member Jim Maddox, who represents Alison Court, also was on hand.

“We understand government resources are tight right now,” said community activist Thena Norman Durham. “We have to leverage our resources against the government’s to do our own part for the community.”

In coming years, an investment group plans to purchase the former Jewel Point property, fix it up and resell the condos, Sobol said. If that goes well, Sobol hopes someone will buy the former Cornerstone Apartments across the street.

“We’re all one community,” said Durham, who lives nearby. “We’ll all be better off when we realize that.”