Neighborhood Nuisance: man says city workers damaged his yard, wants action

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A Toledo man is speaking out, saying city workers damaged his property during repairs and didn’t do a good job cleaning things up. He wants the home he loves returned to it’s former glory.

Bill Hawkins has lived in his Harbord Drive home since 2005. He says he poured a lot of time and energy into making his home beautiful.

He said when the City of Toledo crews came to repair a water line and a gas line that ran under his front yard, they did not leave his lawn how they found it.

When they tried to fix his lawn, he wasn’t happy with the job they did.

“They put matting down for the grass seed and nobody liked that. They took theirs up, they took theirs up. Mine was huge the whole area,” says Hawkins.

Hawkins says the repairs have blurred the line between his property and the street, causing frequent flooding and damage from drivers to his landscaping. He says it is upsetting because he’s not able to fix the problem himself.

”I can’t get down anymore. If I get down on the ground that low, I will have to stay down to try to do it because my legs will cramp up. I really either have to hire somebody or I’m not capable of doing it anymore,” says Hawkins.

A City of Toledo spokesperson says property owners often have different expectations when it comes to returning property to its former condition. They say city repair workers are not landscapers and there is only so much they can do, so at this point, it is out of their hands.

If you have an issue with the state of your property after repairs, reach out to engage Toledo to see what can be done.

If you have a problem or a troubled property in your community that has become a neighborhood nuisance, contact Willie Daniely at willie.daniely@13abc.com.

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