CINCINNATI — The City of Cincinnati's public services crews swept away piles of trash dumped in a West End alley, but not every homeowner is happy. Omar Childress said city crews ignored complaints for more than four years.
"I've been crying for this," Childress said.
Childress is fed up with city maintenance of the now clear alley at Horace and Whiteman Streets.
"Man, I'm 75 years old," he said. "I've been telling them to get it out of here. I had some people that (were) interested in buying my property but they (are) not going to buy no property now. The sidewalk (has) bucked teeth. Handicapped people can't even get through there."
Childress scrapped plans to renovate his three-story building after he struggled to get permits. After he posted a "For Sale" in the window, someone parked and left a trailer in a city-owned alley next door. Then, people dumped tires, wood piles and even an old box spring torn open with pools of water inside.
"This was dumped," Childress said. "The city, they ignored it. That frustrates me."
He and anonymous callers complained about dumping in the area 13 times in the last four years, according to Department of Public Service records. All were addressed and each case closed "in a timely manner," a city spokesperson said. However, neighbors insist nothing moved until after WCPO 9 News called city staff.
When asked what that says, West End property owner Aja Pryor laughed and said, "that when you all are called (city crews) are going to be out and that they'll come do something. Other than that, if a normal citizen like him or I call, no luck."
When he saw crews clean the alley, Childress said it is clear "it looks better," but he sees other issues growing on city property.
"The sidewalks have mustaches, that's what I call it," Childress said. "It's overgrown with weeds."
He wants that cleared too. While hopeful the change will help him secure a fair price for his building, Childress is anything but certain.
"We don't care who takes care of it, they should take care of that," said Childress.
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