Campus Partners said it is going to get rid of the blight in South Campus, however, a bar owner said the area is not blighted.’It’s not even close to the legal definition of ‘blighted,” said Brad Miller, the owner of Maxwell’s Bar, 1576 N. High St.Maxwell’s is located at the intersection of 11th Avenue and High Street, the area Campus Partners is going to rebuild.’Right now students feel unsafe to go to the bars there,’ said Steve Sterrett, a spokesman of Campus Partners.Miller disagrees.’Too much selective enforcement’ is the reason students are not going to High Street bars any more, he said.Columbus Police Cmdr. Curtis Marcum said the OSU campus area has walking crews in addition to a regular cruiser.’Friday, Saturday nights, football season, all those kinds of things, there’s a ton of people who congregate up there,’ he said. ‘That’s something that you have to police.’Marcum said he would be surprised if the presence of the police has a detrimental effect on the area businesses.The police spend about $2-3 million a year just to provide services to the campus area, said Sgt. Paul Hillenbrand of Research and Development of the Columbus Police. The 1996 budget for the Columbus Police was $136 million, he said.Howard Skubovius, president of University Area Commission, said the committee has not formalized its opinion yet, but wants police to work in a larger area and alleys to prevent other crime ‘rather than waiting for problems or arresting underage drinkers at the bars.’Miller started soliciting student signatures at his bar a few weeks ago to tell Campus Partners their message: Leave south campus bars alone.More than 500 students signed the petition by Tuesday night, Miller said.’I’m proud of the way my bar looks,’ he said. ‘I consider it attractive and I intend to keep it attractive.’Joe Williams, real estate director of Campus Partners, said Miller has done nice things to keep his bar attractive, but there’s only so much he can do to change the overall decline of the area.’The problems with the area go beyond the individual business,’ he said. Williams said Campus Partners will make others aware of Miller’s request when the group receives the petition, but he doesn’t know if it’s going to affect much of the overall plan to redevelop the area.Looking back 18 years ago, Earl Webb, the owner of Skully’s Bar and Grill at 1596 N. High St., said the Short North used to look like the way South campus does right now–deteriorated.He believes Campus Partners’ efforts with the city and the state can bring the area back up, he said.’It’s going to turn around, but people have to work together on it,’ Webb said.’I would have no problem moving as long as I was financially taken care of,’ he said.John Watkins, a junior majoring in communication, said students need more places to hang out, but the bars also need to be improved. The bars should be more strict at the door in order to restrict underage drinkers, he said.Williams said the area has been historically an entertainment district, and there will be entertainment uses. But it needs a mix of retail uses, not just bars, he said.