SAN ANTONIO – A local homeowner said her frustration is mounting after driving by her neighbor's dumpster.
"I don't think too many people would want a toilet bowl greeting them at the entrance to their neighborhood," said neighbor Velia Torres.
Turning into the Oak Hills Terrace neighborhood, the corner lot is hard to miss. A giant locker consumes half of the driveway, a dumpster filled with trash takes up the other half.
"It's brushes, shrubs, and everything. There's pieces of rug, carpet, rolls hanging out the side," Torres said.
The dumpster is the result of a remodeling project that began inside the home in the 5000 block of Brenda Lane more than a year and a half ago, but the work has been at a standstill for several months.
"People put their trash in there and it blows in my yard, you know the yards and we have to pick up the trash. Well you know I pay taxes for the city to come and pick up my trash, not me to pick up somebody's trash," Torres said.
Torres said she has made several calls to the city's code enforcement services department during the last year and was told as long as the homeowner has a permit, he is OK to have a dumpster in the driveway.
She also remembers calling councilman Chris Medina's office to complain. "They were very cordial, they responded. They even told me several neighbors have complained about that house but there's nothing we can do because he has a permit," Torres said.
Within 24 hours of our call to the homeowner, we had an explanation.
He explained he had fallen on hard times financially and had been hoping to be able to resume the remodeling project.
In light of the complaint, he has agreed to remove both the locker and the dumpster.