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Indianapolis couple concerned over tall grass on land owned by INDOT and the city

Posted at 7:36 PM, Jun 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-18 19:36:04-04

INDIANAPOLIS — Mike and Donna Bebley have lived in their Indianapolis homes for over a decade. They say each year has been a challenge with the city and Indiana Department of Transportation to keep the grass maintained between Paris Avenue and I-65.

"You've got to call and call and call. Yesterday I was on the phone for 35 or 40 minutes trying to get somebody," Mike Bebley said. "They left me on hold that long and never did come to the phone."

For the last 12 years, Donna Bebley has kept a diary of every call she has made for help.

"For grass, I've been calling since 2007," Donna said. "Our last resort was calling Channel 6. We called yesterday, and here you are today."

Her husband, Mike, has just about had it. "It's a disgrace for anybody to have to come through there and see that," he said. "You could stand there on that corner, and if you care about anything living decent, it's enough to make you cry."

tall grass.PNG

After making numerous calls to the Mayor's Action Line, Mike has learned the property is managed by two departments — INDOT and the City of Indianapolis.

"My wife she retired from Eli Lilly and I retire from General Motors, and we're not asking for much, but when we come out and sit on the porch to drink a cup of coffee, we'd like a decent view," Mike said. "That's all I want."

The Bebleys say this not only a cosmetic problem, but it's also a safety issue.

"It is, you can't see. If a child was walking through there and come out, they'd run over them," Mike said.

INDOT tells RTV6 that state contractors mow the grass up to 15 feet from the interstate. What grows beyond the fence line, or obstructs a city sidewalk, INDOT says the City of Indianapolis maintains that.

"Somebody did talk to me, but they never did do anything, I talked to them yesterday…and this is the first time I've called Channel 6, and here are the results the next day," Mike said. "You can't beat that."

As the grass grows taller, so does the frustrations of the Bebleys.

The Department of Public works told RTV6 that the weather has slowed down their mowing efforts, but says they do have plans to mow the area soon.

RTV6 will keep following this story and let you know when the work gets done.