Neighbors protest nearby resident's 10 to 15 vehicles

Eight residents of Berkshire and Havenwood drives in Old Meadows, asking for the City Council to take action against one of their neighbors, filled out pub- lic comment cards at last week's meeting. Their concern was over the 10 to 15 cars and trucks, many rusted and filled with trash, that Adolf Lemen parks in the neigh- borhood.

Members of the group ex- pressed concern for the safety of their families. The cars and trucks are parked near driveways, they said, not only blocking the view of traffic when a resident backs out, but also obscuring children as they walk between the parked vehicles and into the street.

Speakers alleged the cars and trucks are moved around the neighborhood during the night to foil attempts by police officers to identify them as abandoned ve- hicles.

"The cars and trucks have been moving back and forth, from street to street and from place to place," said Bruce Smith, a 10- year resident of Old Meadows.

"I called the police several times and I said, 'Why is this here? It's rusted, it's old, it's be- ing towed most of the time, it has engines on the back, it's stuffed with papers, it's probably got things that live in it.' They said they can't do anything about it," Smith said.

When one rusty truck full of trash finally moves from in front of his house to a place down the street, another old truck replaces it, he said.

For more than a year, the resi- dents said, they've been working with city staff members, includ- ing code compliance officials and law enforcement, to resolve the problem. They're frustrated be- cause cars and trucks that are regularly moved around by their owner don't qualify as abandoned vehicles under current city's laws.

"The municipal code, the way it is written in its present state does not allow for any correction to this matter," said Bruce Wagner, an- other Old Meadows speaker. "This is way beyond what is normal for any neighborhood."

Mayor Dennis Gillette asked City Manager Scott Mitnick to come up with a plan to resolve the issue by the next City Council meeting on Tues., Oct. 10.

After the Sept. 26 council meeting, Gillette said the issue had reached critical mass in the last couple of weeks with one Old Meadows resident coming to city hall complaining she cannot eat or sleep and fears for the safety of her children because of the situ- ation. Gillette is optimistic the problem will be resolved with code compliance, public works, police, fire, the city manager and city attorney all working on it, Gillette said.

Another Old Meadows resi- dent, who didn't want to be iden- tified, said she understands her neighbor's frustration and safety concerns, but she sees another side of the matter and hopes her neighbors will show the alleged offender, Lemen, and his family more compassion. The tires on his vehicles have occasional been flattened and people shout at him when he drives by, she said.

"He volunteers at his church," she said. "He has a son who served in Iraq and was wounded there."