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Hannah Can Help: Tree service returns to fix Nashville man's broken fence after leaving job unfinished

Rodney Lemley's fence down
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EAST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville man says a tree and landscaping contractor knocked down part of his fence, left his yard unfinished and left his dogs unable to go outside unsupervised — before ultimately returning to complete the work and repair the fence.

Rodney Lemley says workers doing vegetation work around power lines damaged his fence without notifying him.

"When he tore the fence down, he didn't come knocking on my door," Lemley said.

Lemley says the contractor then put a settlement agreement in writing, which he shared with NewsChannel 5. Instead of repairing or replacing the fence, the two sides agreed to remove bamboo Lemley had wanted gone for years.

"Don't ever plant bamboo in your yard," Lemley said. "That is the most aggressive plant on the planet."

But after chopping down the bamboo, Lemley says the landscapers left without finishing the job. With the fence broken, his Australian Shepherd, Cane Corso and Pitbull mix could not be in the yard by themselves.

That's when he emailed Hannah Can Help.

"People don't know them, they're big babies, but if you just walk up on them, you would be petrified," Lemley said.

After the yard work was done, Lemley had a new concern about whether the yard was even safe.

"Some of these things are very sharp. Not something you want to step on, I assure you," Lemley said.

I had already been making calls for a couple of days before meeting Lemley at his home — first to the city, which then contacted NES's vegetation team.

Just hours after the interview, Lemley called with an update and a thank you. The tree company had returned, and this time, he says, they finished the job and fixed the fence.

"I told him the other day, I bet you wished you had just put the fence up," Lemley said.

Do you have a story you think Hannah Can Help with? Email HannahCanHelp@newschannel5.com.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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