NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Several residents of an Antioch neighborhood said a foreclosed car wash has turned into an illegal dump site.
Several neighbors took their time out Tuesday morning to clean up the mess all over the empty car wash on Anderson Road near Smith Springs Road.
Resident Renee McMurray said it has been at least the second time since someone cleaned up the property this month. Ever since the car wash closed, there is so much trash that it is blowing into people's property and causing an eyesore for residents and drivers who pass by.
"Enough is enough," McMurray told NewsChannel 5. "Garbage was hitting my car and that's when I decided I got to do something."
McMurray is also concerned about pollution on nearby Percy Priest Lake. She helped set up the cleanup and invited neighbors to join. One of them was Dora Gilley who lives right next door to the car wash. She said she would take time out of taking her disabled husband to pick up the trash that her yard has collected.
"They don't care, they just dump it," Gilley said. "This has been going on since December."
Metro Beautification Commissioner Karen VanCleave also helped with the cleanup process. She was proud to see people participate and take pride in their neighborhood.
"We just don't like the trash because it makes us look bad," VanCleave said. "It's just sad to me that people do this."
Neighbors worry as the foreclosure process continues, trash will continue to build up. They would like to see a fence or the driveway blocked.
A Metro Codes inspector visited the site two weeks ago after receiving a complaint. The department intially issued an abatement notice to a company for a violation and were given the end of the month to fix the problem. However, property records have been updated to show that Georgia-based Ameris Bank purchased the property through a foreclosure sale and is responsible for cleaning up the property. A Metro Codes spokesperson said if not, they could be fined accordingly.
The department has received three complains since January 8.
