NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville man spent nearly six months trying to get a storm-damaged tree removed from his fence — but the agency responsible for the cleanup was juggling thousands of similar requests across Middle Tennessee.
Hugh Gracey's backyard backs up to Interstate 440. Between the interstate and neighboring backyards is a wooded state right-of-way maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. That's where the tree on Gracey's fence came from — knocked down during January's ice storm.
"I'm just trying to get them to do what they're supposed to do and get the tree off my fence," Gracey said.
Gracey said he understood from the start that TDOT had far bigger problems to solve after the storm.
"There were other pressing matters. I completely understood that," Gracey said.
TDOT crews worked across 21 counties in the wake of the ice storm. By the end of May, contractors had removed more than 800,000 cubic yards of storm-related debris. The agency prioritized projects that posed immediate safety concerns, like pothole repairs, before returning to lower-priority cleanup requests.
But as the months passed, Gracey began to wonder if anyone was coming back to his fence.
"And I kept on following up with him all the way up until June," Gracey said.
Gracey, a Nashville attorney who comes from a long line of lawyers, never stopped pushing. He said his father always said if you don't fight, you can't win. But after months of following up with TDOT and nearly reaching for his own wallet to pay for the cleanup, he took his mother's advice and reached out to me.
"It wasn't until I expressed my frustrations to my 78-year-old mother and she told me, 'Well, there's this good reporter on [News]Channel 5 that you should call. Maybe she can help you,'" Gracey said.
After I reached out to TDOT, a crew showed up the morning of the interview with a Bobcat and chainsaws to clear the storm debris.
"I don't believe in coincidences, so I figured you had reached out to someone and caused a stir and got a reaction from people that matter over at TDOT," Gracey said.
After months of waiting, Gracey watched as the crew removed the tree from his fence.
"We're finally going to get all this stuff off your property," a TDOT worker said.
"Appreciate it, man. It's been a long time coming," Gracey said.
"Yeah, we've just been busy with all that storm damage we haven't been able to get back here," the TDOT worker said.
"It's good to hear that they're going to be hopefully getting through either today and if not by today than tomorrow," Gracey said.
TDOT says cleanup in the area is ongoing. Crews will continue working as schedules allow and will continue to prioritize higher-priority safety needs like pothole repairs.
Whether it’s a billing issue, a government agency that won’t call you back, or something that’s been dragging on for months, email Hannah at Hannah.McDonald@Newschannel5.com to see if Hannah Can Help.
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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