Hunter said he plans to host a meeting in each of the city’s seven districts over the next few months to learn more about the needs of each community.

City administrators took notes as residents listed their main concerns.

One woman said she regularly sees in her neighborhood vacant homes that she suspects dangerous people are using for shelter.

“As a single person with young children, it is a concern to me that I have to keep calling the police about this,” she said.

Another said she persistently calls the city about overgrown grass, but is frustrated with having to wait months before someone comes out to cut it. The state requires that the city give notice to the owner and wait for a response before maintaining the property.

She said she has complained about one property for over a year.

“I have a granddaughter and the grass is standing 5 feet high,” she said. “No one is paying attention to central Lake Charles.”

A few residents mentioned First Avenue as consistently having tall grass, which prevents people from enjoying the new walking trail there.

One man said he was frustrated with how many people are allowed to keep cars and junk in their front yards, and asked the city to consider adding new ordinances if needed.

“It’s a shame to see our neighborhoods looking the way they are,” he said.

Residents also listed off a number of commonly flooded areas, an issue Mayor Hunter has said the city should make a top priority.

One woman who lives on Franklin Street said she has often had to park on Broad and wade through knee-deep water with small children just to get to her home. Residents also mentioned V.E. Washington, Shattuck and Winterhalter as streets with poor drainage.

Drugs, particularly among young people, was another common complaint at the event. One man who lives on 10th Street said his neighbor consistently rents out his property to drug dealers.

“I’ve been fighting this for years and years,” he said. “I’ve even had shootings by my house.”

Although police investigate his complaints, he said, they aren’t interested in seeing his video footage and haven’t been proactive in solving the issue.

He asked the board to come up with ways to get young people off the streets. Others mentioned after-school care, improvements to McMillan Park and community policing as possible solutions to the drug problem.

Some residents lamented that businesses in District B were few and far between. One suggested a satellite SEED Center Business Incubator like the one in south Lake Charles as a way to spur business development. Another asked the city to move forward on growing the Nellie Luther Culture District, an effort that has stalled over the past two years.

Residents also requested covered bus stops, weekend transit hour and more bike paths in the area.

District B councilwoman Luvertha August closed the meeting by thanking residents for their candid criticism and thoughtful ideas.

“It is not going unheard,” August said.

She noted that many drainage, infrastructure and quality of life improvements are already in the works, but asked residents to be patient for results.

The city hasn’t yet announced the date and location of the District C meeting.