Grandmother is tired of wood rats, snakes crawling from property near Steam Mill Road

A 66-year-old Columbus woman is afraid to allow her grandchildren to play in the yard after the property next door on Southern Pines Drive turned into what she calls a jungle.

Located in the 600 block of Southern Pines Drive, the property has been neglected over the last year — even though it's for sale. Yolanda Hunter said the property has been the source of snakes and big wood rats crawling from the area to her backyard, creating a safety hazard for her grandsons and the threat of disease.

"They can't stand out there and play in the backyard," Hunter said. "My son won't allow his children back there. We put sulfur back there but the weather is so bad it washes it away."

John Hudgison, director of the city's Building Inspections & Code Enforcement Department, said the vacant property is overgrown with weeds and in violation of the local ordinance. A contractor for the city will enter the property to clear overgrown grass and weeds.

"It should be taken care of in the next few weeks," he said Friday.

Although trees are overgrown in the back of the house, Hudgison said the city may cut vines and have them removed if they have overtaken a house but the city never cut trees on private property unless they have fallen on public right-of -way.

"We may cut branches that have affected the house or remove branches that have fallen on a house once we do a demolition but rarely much more," he said.

To answer Hunter's concerns about snakes and rats, Hudgison said they won't have anywhere to hide after the grass and weeds are cleared. A herbicide is used to help with the weeds.

"We will be moving forward," he said. "It has been selected to be on the next contractor's list."

Hunter is most concerned about the rats that chewed their way through an exterior wall to enter her home.

"I called the health department," she said. "They are some big rats. One came into the house and ate my bread. They had bit a hole in my house. The city thought it was funny, but I didn't."

Last week, Hunter said she was shocked after her dog was bitten by some type of nonvenomous snake while she was at work.

"Those big snakes are coming out of those trees," she said. "That's why my dog won't even eat her food."

Hunter, a native of Junction City, Kan., said she has been in the neighborhood about 10 years.

"This is ridiculous and it's out of control," she said of the vacant property.

Despite concerns over the overgrown weeds and grass nearby, Hunter said she still enjoys the quiet neighborhood in the Merrywood subdivision off Steam Mill Road.

"Nobody bothers me and I don't bother nobody," she said. "Columbus is home now."

If you've seen something that needs attention, give me a call at 706-571-8576.

This story was originally published June 30, 2018 at 6:17 PM.