Business owner in Washington cited as junk piles up on property
City officials in Washington are trying to clean up the town, but are stuck with a trashy situation.
Over the past few months, a business owner has allowed garbage and refuse to pile up in the parking lot of a property at Jefferson and West Hallam avenues directly across from Washington High School.
The situation has devolved to the point the property at 308 Jefferson Ave. resembles more of a junkyard or dump, creating an eyesore in one of the city’s main business districts.
“It’s horrible for the city. We are doing everything legally we can to get that out of there,” Washington Mayor Jojo Burgess said. “It’s a long process. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
The “Hauling and That” business began operating in the city in late June or early July, and soon became a problem that began spiraling out of control in August, Burgess said. In response, the city’s code enforcement officer filed a flurry of citations against the business owner, Michael Lynch, and the property owner, which is listed as Talebi Homes.
The city filed 10 citations against Lynch on Aug. 26 that ranged from nuisance vehicles to failure to secure proper building permits and business licenses, to several different violations involving solid waste collection. The citations carry hefty daily fines, and a hearing is scheduled before District Judge Kelly Stewart at 1:15 p.m. Nov. 25, according to online court records.
Burgess said Lynch originally planned to use the property – which previously was used for tax accounting services – as a home base to haul away refuse for residential clean-ups or to take away old furniture that families no longer wanted. The mayor said there originally were Dumpsters placed in the parking lot to collect and dispose of garbage, but Lynch did not secure the proper permits or get approval for zoning to use the property for those purposes.
Instead, it has devolved into an unsightly mess with tires, mattresses, furniture and bags of garbage piled several feet high behind the building. In the front sits an antique Chevrolet panel truck parked next to leather and upholstered chairs and couches exposed to the elements with a sign on the building urging people to “Call Mike” for their trash hauling needs.
Burgess said city officials have heard many complaints from the community about the problem, and he even addressed the situation during the council’s Nov. 3 meeting. But Burgess said the city’s hands are tied while awaiting a court ruling as officials try to persuade the business owner to clean up the property or possibly face hefty fines following next week’s hearing.
“We can’t go on private property and just start taking stuff,” Burgess said. “That mess still needs cleaned up. He said it will be cleaned up. We’ll see if that’s the case. We’re at the mercy of the (courts) with these citations and waiting for a hearing.”
Burgess said there have been assurances from the property owner that the garbage and debris would be removed this week, although the junk pile still remained Monday afternoon. No one answered the door at the property Monday, and a call to Lynch’s cellphone said it was not accepting messages at this time.
The mayor added that this situation has caused “unnecessary drama” because the business owner and, by extension, the property owner have not attempted to secure the proper business permits or zoning changes to allow such an operation to exist in that commercial district.
“He was told back then you couldn’t do that until you have the proper permits and zoning in place. The owner has refused to do so and continued to operate,” Burgess said. “We’re not going to work with someone who doesn’t do the right thing.”