MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some neighbors in Frayser feared raccoons and other creatures are overtaking their yards, thanks to overgrowth in the area behind homes.
“Yeah, they have been down in the garbage cans,” said homeowner Jouel Edingbourgh.
Edingbourgh said raccoons and other critters are the reasons most garbage containers are placed in the front of houses on Letrec Cove. He said leaving trash in their backyards, near the overgrowth, was an invitation.
“We pay taxes just like everybody else, and we are tired of having to tie down our garbage cans,” Edingbourgh said.
He said the vegetation has not always been there.
“Oh, you could see the other side of the street,” Edingbourgh said.
He said no one has maintained it in years.
Several neighbors said they did not know what to do about the overgrowth or the raccoons that come with it.
“When I get ready to empty the garbage can, he jumps out of there,” he said.
The city looked into the issue and determined the area is its responsibility to maintain.
A representative with Public Works confirmed the area is an “unapproved right of way,” which essentially means the city could have possibly continued the street through the area but did not.
Public Works said a crew will come out here Friday, inspect the issue, and mitigate it.
