Trashing up the neighborhood
By Carla Gwaltney Owens

Citizens living in the Johnston Road neighborhood are asking the county for some assistance with what they say has become a serious health hazard to the families that live in the area. Clay County resident Marcia Bugg and neighbors brought pictures of a growing trash problem at one of the homes in their neighborhood to the Clay County Board of Commissioners Thursday.

Bugg told commissioners that the previous owner stored trash on the property and when he sold and moved he left the trash in two old storage buildings. The new owner, according to Bugg's statement to the Clay County Commission, is an elderly woman who is unable to clean up the mess on her own or afford to hire someone to come in and clean-up the trash and haul it to the transfer station.

Bugg and other neighbors in the area have offered to help but say they do not have the resources to haul the trash off or pay for the hauling. Therefore, they came before Commissioners Thursday evening asking for assistance in the matter.

Bugg said they have approached Hinton Rural Life Center who has offered some assistance.

According to Bugg, the two storage buildings are dilapidated and dogs are tearing into the trash and carrying the refuse all over the neighborhood. Although help has been gained from Hinton Center in boarding up the two old buildings to contain what trash remains inside, Bugg said there is trash all over the property and rats have infested the two buildings and the surrounding area. "Our kids get on and off the bus near here and there are huge rats running around," one resident told commissioners. "It is a health hazard. My kids are playing near all this mess." In addition to the health hazard produced by the rotting garbage, the mother said her kindergarten daughter brought a piece of paper in that had been dragged into the yard by some dogs and was trying to sound out a four letter word printed on the paper. "Trash is blowing all over the place in our neighborhood," she stressed. The neighbors asked commissioners for help to clean-up their neighborhood. "This lady is not in good health," they said of the homeowner who inherited the garbage mess. "She needs some help to clean this up. She's got to have help," they pleaded.

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