CURB APPEAL

May 07,2023

On April 27,2023, at least three neighbors who placed kraft bags out on the curb ,were picked up.  The month of April. the city was picking up unbagged leaves and branches. Example of the city saying/posting one thing and doing another. 

April 16,2023

Leaf pick up  in kraft bags starts May 2023 through November 2023 .

Owning or renting a house, with a yard ,comes with  the responsibilty to keep the weeds and grass  maintained and mowed.  In addition, it keeps  the rodent/wildlife population down.  Most of all, it shows pride in ownership ,curb appeal and contributes to the total block appearance. 

As a former landscaper /designer/owner,  2591 Lee Road,yard  is not to my standards, due to  the fact, I know I  will not own this property.  I am doing the bare ,minium to keep weeds down.

Nonetheless, I have removed tons of tree/ leaf debris, front hedges and six trees,  this initial clean up was necessary to exterminate, the hoard of groundhogs and other wildlife that had taken over the yard.  Five trees were  dead and one was shifting the sanitary line. 

 The past three summers, I have maintained the weeds/grass ,picked up trash on the sidewalks/streets  and made several attempts to reseed the yard.  The groundhogs,raccoons,possums and skunks  that currently run upon my property are released at certain times, based on my video survelliance. 

Over all, the clean up was a success for the health and welfare of this community,  the hoard of groundhogs have been exterminated and the stench of animal feces and rotten wood has almost disappeared.  

In the summer of 2020. I opted, for lawn service at $50, a week , strangely all the independent contractors that were sent to my property did not show up or did a half @@@ job. I would learn later, by one of the contractors that a Caucasian male stopped him and told him not to cut my yard.  

The reason why I believe this happened is to generate  fines from the city and then a lien.  People have lost their property for overgrown weeds, minimum fine starts at $200 .  Fortunatley, I am able to mow the yard ,it may take me longer  and I do so weekly, weather permitting, as it reduces my stress .  

 I mow with a reel to reel mower when dandelions arent on the yard,in the front and can mow my yard better than a lawn tractor or gas/electric mower. It is to dangerous to mow in the backyard, due to dead limbs falling . I use weed kill  and mow with the electric mower the portion near the house to help with flooding.  Grass grows fine in the backyard because there are no trespassers.   As a POCHO this is considered my yard excercise. 

There are dead trees on the property line and back yard that need removing, by the next owner, estimated $12K to $20K ,for tree removal and stump grinding. The cost may have been quoted higher for me,  the access for equiptment and powerlines are the major factors that drive up the cost.  A fair estimate, would be $7K to $8.5K for the entire yard because they  process  all the trees  which they sell for firewood,chips and lumber. 

The Illuminating Company offers tree removal service to pay over time,interest free with your electric bill.  I was given a $7K line of credit with $194.44 per month  for 36 months. In hindsight, I am so glad the contractors bids were to high, otherwise, I would be in debt paying for tree service for someone else to enjoy.  Mind you, the cost from the contractors, may be higher because they pay a fee to be a contractor with Illuminating Company. 

In addition, what I found out about tree service companies,  in Cleveland Heights, they are more expensive, than any place I have lived and  they don't offer property damage insurance ,they offer employee insurance, if they get hurt on the job.  

One of the reason tree service is higher,  because it is a requirement on the POSI. This explains why I see so many dead trees around Cleveland Heights on properties. 

Before signing, read the contract portion under liabilty, it will state hold harmless for property damage . This is one of the reasons, I stopped looking for tree service, because my insurance company informed me, if they dropped a tree on my house, they are not paying the claim.  

To the homeowners/renters on the 2500 block that mow on a regular ,kudos, your yard is looking great and stands out on the block.  The overall block has improved greatly  since I moved on the block   February 2020. 

 Hopefully this will be my last year  dealing with this property, as my freedom papers are in process.