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Lubbock homeowner accuses Solid Waste Department of repeated damage(KCBD Staff)<\/p>\nLUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock homeowner says the city\u2019s Solid Waste Department has repeatedly damaged his property.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Bowen lives in Central Lubbock. He says city trash trucks have damaged his fence for more than a year, to the point that it no longer has structural integrity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey set the dumpster against a pole and it bent back and split the fence. The wood is separating,\u201d Bowen explained while giving us a tour of the damage. \u201cNot only that, they set the dumpster on the top of our water valve and we didn\u2019t have access to it. They also cracked the concrete.\u201d<\/p>\n
When that first instance occurred, Bowen said he contacted the city and crews moved the dumpster. <\/p>\n
Despite that report, he says the damage continued. Bowen claims the city told him to trim a tree hanging over his fence. He did, only to have his dumpster scraped against the bark anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey scraped the dumpster down the tree and hit a pole. It pushed it so far back that it split the top cap in half,\u201d Bowen said.<\/p>\n
Bowen said he again reported concerns to the Solid Waste Department and was told crews would replace the top cap and straighten the pole. Instead, Bowen says crews merely screwed it back together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not replacing it. The integrity of my fence has been extremely compromised,\u201d Bowen said.<\/p>\n
Bowen tells us he had two different fence companies come assess the damage. One company quoted him $2,000 to replace it; the other quoted him $3,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have the money to repeatedly pay for our fence to get fixed,\u201d Bowen said. \u201cI\u2019m concerned it will happen again if we get it fixed. What\u2019s the likelihood they\u2019re going to start being more careful?\u201d<\/p>\n
We reached out to the Solid Waste Department requesting an interview about the repairs process. Instead, we were sent a list of instructions.<\/p>\n
Lubbock homeowner accuses Solid Waste Department of repeated damage(KCBD Staff)<\/p>\n
Then, we told Bowen to reach out to his city councilman, David Bruegel. Bruegel represents District 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur objective is to repair it to its original condition. With Mr. Bowen\u2019s fence, for example, we were able to fix the poles and wood that were damaged and we will fix the concrete that\u2019s damaged as well,\u201d Bruegel said.<\/p>\n
Bruegel said the city cannot realistically replace entire fences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t go and buy a new fence for everybody in town; we would run out of money real quick,\u201d Bruegel said. \u201cSo what we need to do is use [the money] in the most responsible way we can to remedy the issue. That\u2019s by going in and repairing what needs to be repaired.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bruegel said Solid Waste is usually able to handle any requests, and this was the first time Bowen\u2019s situation crossed his desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen something becomes a major issue and needs my attention, they\u2019ll bring it to my attention,\u201d Bruegel said.<\/p>\n
We noted Bowen had reached out to Solid Waste several times and asked what constituted a \u2018major issue\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, when you run an organization of this size, there will periodically be issues like this where a resident just needs to reach out to their member of council,\u201d Bruegel said. \u201cThe process worked appropriately here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bowen told us he and Bruegel agreed on a solution, and crews began working on his house Wednesday.<\/p>\n
As much as he wanted his property fixed, Bowen said his main goal was to solve for every homeowner in Lubbock who may be dealing with the same issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just not right. Maybe some of those homeowners have the money to get it fixed, but what happens if it happens to them again? It\u2019s not fair – whether they have the money or not – for their private property to continually be damaged and for them to have to foot the bill,\u201d Bowen said.<\/p>\n
So, we asked Councilman Bruegel whether there was a solution that could be reached with the Solid Waste Department and its trash crews.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s inherent in what we do; we\u2019re working with giant equipment in very narrow alleys,\u201d Bruegel said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have some damage to a fence or a sidewalk. The best we can do is fix that as it comes up and address it quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bruegel added he\u2019s happy to help any residents in his district experiencing similar issues. He suggests everyone in town familiarize themselves with their council members and reach out to them too.<\/p>\n