Trash pile in Loveland causes neighborhood headaches

A large trash pile on the front lawn of an empty duplex just north of U.S. 34 near Boise Avenue is causing headaches for neighbors, who say that the city of Loveland has been slow to deal with it.

The trash pile, which includes ruined mattresses, bundles of scrap wood, brush and tree limbs, piping, derelict appliances and an abandoned shopping cart, is causing nearby residents to worry for the children and household animals that live in the neighborhood.

“I’m a single dad, renting an apartment here on the side of town where you don’t pay as much, so a couple things are gonna slide, I get that,” said Kyle Meis, a resident in an apartment complex directly across Cheyenne Avenue from the trash pile. “But this, you’re telling me that if this were in a nicer neighborhood, this would still be here? C’mon.”

Meis said that the trash pile appeared in early March, shortly after the previous tenants moved out of the house. He reported it to the city.

According to the city of Loveland, officials conducted a site visit on Mar. 13 and determined the pile of trash to be in violation of the city’s code, for Refuse and Rubbish and Improper Outdoor Storage.

Such violations carry a 15-day citation, according to city spokesperson Nicole Yost, after which time a second inspection is carried out.

At that inspection, which occurred earlier this week, according to an email from Yost received by the Reporter-Herald on Friday, the pile was deemed to be a health hazard, and an abatement was scheduled for Monday if the property owner does not comply.

“If the violation remains after the deadline, we schedule abatement of the property, which can take up to a week to do, or happen sooner depending on the size of the abatement and schedules,” Yost wrote.

Meis worried that neighborhood children, like a handful who were skateboarding near the lot Friday evening, could injure themselves.

“This isn’t a dead area,” Meis said. “I’ve got an 8-year-old-son. We’ve got kids that come down, McKee Medical Center is right there, Boyd Lake’s around the corner. This is an active area.”