Back in early February Red Phone heard from a caller telling of
a horrendous am-ount of trash surrounding a home at the northwest
corner of Murphy and Tennant avenues.
Back in early February Red Phone heard from a caller telling of a horrendous am-ount of trash surrounding a home at the northwest corner of Murphy and Tennant avenues. Red Phone stopped by and was truly appalled, as the caller promised.
So, Red Phone got on the, well, the phone, to call Chris Rummel of the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health. Chris said he would visit the site, contact the owner, tell him to clean it up, then sit back and wait to see what happened. If nothing happened, the owner would receive a formal letter ordering the cleanup. But it didn’t come to that.
“I talked to the owner at his home right after the inspection,” Rummel said. “He agreed to start the cleanup right away.”
At least one load has been carted away, Rummel said, and he sees signs of more going. Red Phone drove by and, indeed, the place is much cleaner. There are still “neat” heaps of stuff plus an overflowing trash bin in the back, mostly hidden from the street.
“We will continue to monitor progress,” Rummel said. “We won’t be sending a formal letter since he is willingly cleaning up the property and as long as he keeps making steady progress. We will keep watching, but I want to commend him for his efforts to date.”
Rummel said the owner is considering long-term preventative measures – since he wasn’t the one dropping off the trash – with a fence or a ditch so cars can’t drive onto the property and he plans to trim the trees so there will be a clearer view of any illegal activity. The Health Department will provide the owner with “No Dumping” signs in four languages.
