West Meade neighbors complain about construction debris - WSMV Channel 4
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A pile of construction debris has continued to grow right in the middle of an established Nashville neighborhood.
For months, neighbors watched the mound of rubble grow without explanation, so they called Metro Water, Metro Codes and, finally, Channel 4. They asked us to get to the bottom of the pile that some said had destroyed the beauty of their neighborhood.
The site is an old West Meade neighborhood with mature trees, big yards and homes many families have lived in for decades. But the new neighbor, David Bell, started a project that is not very popular.
"It just looks like a landfill," homeowner Mike Williams said.
Williams and others along Davidson Drive said the pile near Bell's home has only gotten bigger over the past year.
"He's been piling up until about a month-and-a-half, two months ago. He was bringing in dump trucks, but that has slowed down," Williams said.
Neighbors called the city for help but were dismayed when they were told the debris pile was not a codes violation.
"It should be some kind of violation. We say it looks like a landfill moved into the neighborhood," Williams said. "That has got to change, and we just need some help."
Our news crew visited Bell, a professional musician, who said the project is well intentioned but difficult to complete.
"We were just doing a yard renovation," Bell said. "We brought some rock in, and we had some guys pushing the Bobcat. But after we had the swimming pool dumped on us, I put up a sign saying 'no more dumping.'"
But what neighbors really want is a completion date, and that may be a little hard to pin down.
"I think it would take about $50,000 to get it done in a week. But I don't just have $50,000 to drop out of my pocket right now. I think we could probably get it done in about six weeks."
Bill Penn, assistant director of Metro Codes, said Bell does not have a construction permit on file, so an inspector will visit the site to see what is going on.
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