MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Residents in a Frayser neighborhood want piles of trash and debris outside a vacant rooming house cleaned up.
Carlton Gladney lives next door.
“When you look at it who wouldn’t think it’s a dump? It looks like a city dump,” he said, “No telling what kind of rodents. I get extra flies coming to my house.”
The property on Saunders Avenue caught fire back in April. The damage was so bad tenants had to find somewhere else to live, but Gladney says they left their trash behind.
“We called the city. We emailed the mayor,” Gladney said.
He says he also called the city’s 311 line multiple times, but the trash never went anywhere. Gladney says he got really frustrated when other people started dumping on the property.
“We have a pile right here of brush,” Gladney said, “And there’s a couple of mattresses on the west side of the house.”
Code enforcement emailed Gladney Thursday claiming the complaint was closed because the house was being renovated, and the yard was clean.
The response baffled him because the yard wasn’t clean. Trash and debris were still all over the place Friday.
“I was livid,” Gladney said.
He was, however, pleased to find out the city changed its mind hours later. Officials say code enforcement did a follow up inspection and recommended the house be demolished if the owner doesn’t make needed repairs and clean up the mess.
Unfortunately, residents may have to wait a long time.
City officials say the process typically takes four to six months, through a series of administrative hearings with code enforcement.
“If the city could possibly tear it down, I would purchase this land,” Gladney said, “It would be land that I could use just to really, you know, make our community a whole lot better.”
The only information listed for the owner in Shelby County records is a PO Box in Mississippi. If the owner does nothing, the city will eventually demolish the property and bill the owner for the service.
