Norwich — Nearly 20 city officials and residents of the Broad Street area got a close-up look at the neighborhood Saturday morning, and even some long-time residents saw a few surprises.

One was the direct view of the Mohegan Sun Casino hotel tower from the intersection of Grove and Broad streets. Since Grove Street is a one-way coming up the hill to Broad, many people never notice the view, neighbors said.

City Blight Control Officer Dan Coley suggested switching Grove to a one-way going down the hill, and switching the adjacent parallel Spaulding Street one-way in the opposite direction.

Hosted by Mayor Deberey Hinchey and led by members of the Broad Street Neighborhood Watch, the third tour of city neighborhoods was an effort to address blight issues, infrastructure problems and safety hazards that can be corrected by the city at little cost. Previous tours in Greeneville and Taftville led to immediate attention by city officials, including cutting overgrown brush blocking sidewalks, installing new street signs and cleaning debris.

Crumbling sidewalks and numerous garbage cans permanently left at the curb drew immediate attention Saturday. Brian Curtin, a Broad Street resident, former alderman and former city treasurer, said sidewalks are critical in the urban center because students have to walk to Norwich Free Academy.

“People seem to think it’s like a Dumpster, something you just leave out,” Curtin said of the new garbage bins.

The city distributed new large recycling and trash bins last summer, joining a growing number of towns with the automatic lift system used to dump loads into the trucks. But City Manager John Salomone noted that many homes on Broad, Treadway and other narrow streets in the neighborhood have raised yards with steep retaining walls at the sidewalk edge, leaving them no place to put the bins but on the sidewalk.

Stacey Moed-Klein, chairwoman of the neighborhood watch, said fixing the crumbling sidewalks alone would mean a major improvement to the neighborhood.

As they walked along, Coley photographed and took notes of blighted conditions, debris piles and seemingly abandoned homes. He told residents of some spots where blight fines have been issued for debris or rundown conditions.

Angelo Yeitz, supervisor of the Public Works Department Streets and Parks Division, did likewise, promising immediate corrections to some minor safety hazards, including a round hole in the sidewalk left after a sign or utility pole was removed.

Police examined two unregistered cars parked on the streets, noticing that each had a temporary plate in the window. That would have made the cars legal, except that it was the same cardboard plate in each car, prompting a closer look by officers.

The Broad Street neighborhood came into prominence in the fall of 2014 when neighbors and city officials alike were surprised to learn a state-funded program had leased a house at 152 Broad St. to house serious sex offenders released from prison.

The house is run by REACH (Reentry Assisted Community Housing), a state subsidized housing program managed by Middetown-based Connection Inc., which also runs the controversial sex offender treatment center at the Corrigan Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville.

Standing at the junction of Treadway and Warren streets, Curtin said the sparsely traveled spot used to be a neighborhood playground for pick-up street ball games, but parents now won’t let the children play there in the shadow of the rear of the REACH program house.

According to the state Sex Offender Registry, three sex offenders live at 152 Broad St., all three convicted of crimes involving minors under age 16.

Hinchey said the 90-minute tour was an eye-opener for city officials getting a first-hand look at the neighborhood, both its charms and its problems.

“It’s so helpful for all of us to walk through neighborhoods and see the bonuses," Hinchey said. "We’ve seen a lot of lovely homes, and some that have problems.”

c.bessette@theday.com