BALTIMORE — A woman in Baltimore is calling on city leaders to help fix the ripple effects from an uprooted tree outside her home.
Colette Pirkle said this issue has become a nuisance and a safety hazard.
For almost two years, Pirkle said she’s been working to get this uprooted tree cleaned up and now she’s asking for help from city leader to fix this mess.
She’s scared to walk in and out of her home for fear of the rodents that have nested outside and inside her garage.
“I walk with pennies in my pocket so that I can throw the pennies before I enter my courtyard because I’m scared,” Pirkle said.
Pirkle said one month after she moved into her new home she had just purchased, a tree behind her house was uprooted causing the foundation around it to crumble followed by a ripple effect of other issues.
She said someone from the city came and cut down the trunk blocking the walkway along W. Lombard and S. Martin Luther King Blvd where she lives. But shortly after, the stump left behind became a new home for some uninvited guests.
“The rats start coming and just burrowing under the tree. I was throwing poison, bleach, red crushed pepper, lilac, anything I can think of to try to keep them away,” Pirkle said.
But she said instead of them going away, it intensified, then they started spreading inside her garage.
“Just poo pooing all over. I’ve made at least I’m going to say no less than 10 complaints to 3-1-1. A city inspector came out last year, he inspected, he told me someone will be back. I haven’t seen anybody, haven’t heard from anybody,” Pirkle said.
Pirkle said councilman John Bullock is aware of the situation and she’s written letters to him, other city officials, and even Mayor Brandon Scott trying to get help.
“I’m paying $4,990 a year in taxes and this is what I got to suffer through. It’s not fair,” Pirkle said.
And she's hoping the right person hears her plea to solve this problem.
“Fix my sidewalk, fix the city sidewalk, and grind up this stump, remove this stump because they’re borrowing under it. It’s unfair for me to have to live like this,” Pirkle said.
WMAR-2 News reached out to councilman Bullock to see if he was aware and get a timeline concerning when the issue will be resolved. We’re still waiting for a response.
