Christopher Webb (Director of Public Health) assigned this issue to Elsa Zhao (Health Department)

Homes with overgrowth were given notices to remove overgrowth.

Thank you. May I ask how long they are given to do their sidewalks and lawns after they receive notice?

Some homeowners or absentee landlords seem to have responded to your letter by mowing lawns, however, some not at all. Sidewalks and under and through fences are a mess. Any assistance would be very much appreciated. How long do they have to comply and do they realize that it is not just their lawns that they are responsible for. Thank you again

Have not received response to my last two posts. Sidewalks and under fences a mess. How long do they have to clean up. Will city clean if they do not

Homes that had overgrowth have fixed the problems. If there are other homes that I may have missed, please find out the addresses and I can address the homeowners.

Dear Elsa, I called your office yesterday regarding this issue and left a message. The problems have not been fixed with regard to overgrowth on sidewalks and overgrowth coming from under fences. It is my understanding that it is the responsibility of the residents to take care of this. If they are not going to be made to do this, can the city come out to do the sidewalks and overgrowth from fences. You can just ride up Henry Streets and Harvard Streets. Can't miss it. Thank you in advance for your help. This makes the whole neighborhood look so trashy.

Can you provide addresses so that I know which houses you are referring to?

No overgrowth at time of inspection

Dear Elsa You can't possibly drive down Henry and Harvard Streets without seeing the sidewalk and under the fences overgrowth. It is a disgusting mess. Also are people advised that when they live on the corners that they are responsible for front and side? Most of us in the neighborhood are doing what we are told we are responsible for. We are either doing it ourselves or paying people to do it. Is it not the property owners responsibility? I have written to you in the past and I have called your office. All of the sidewalks and fence overgrowth have still not been done. They are just higher and messier. Can you please address this or have someone from the City take care of it? It is a disgrace. Thank you

Elsa pls confirm that u have received last post and what will be done. I was originally told property owners and absentee landlords would b forced to do this. Ty

Notices sent to the whole neighborhood to take care of overgrown conditions.

With all due respect Elsa, they got notices back in the beginning of June and did nothing about the sidewalks. It has only continued to grow higher and higher. It is so disheartening for all of us that are following the rules. We are fast approaching September which means we have gone through spring and summer living with the mess. If they didn't understand that they were to take care of the sidewalks (in some instances on both sides of their houses not just front) when they got the first notice what is going to make it any different this time. I'm not trying to be difficult but we were originally told that if they did not do it originally, there would be consequences. Doesn't seem that way.

I am still waiting to hear back to my post of August 17th above. If Elsa Cannot respond, I would appreciate hearing from someone. Thank you

Elsa I also left you a voice mail. Please return my call

Elsa, as a followup to our telephone conversation on Friday, despite at least six posts to you and as well as phone calls, you are now telling me that homeowners are not responsible for the sidewalks only the grass coming out from under their fences. If the City is responsible for the sidewalks, I don't understand why even though I have been writing to you since the beginning of June, and in fact out of frustration asked if the city could trim it on August 13th, no trimming has been done. In any event you indicated that you would make sure someone came out and cleaned up all of the overgrowth on Harvard and Henry Streets and in particular, but not only, the four corners where the two streets meet. You also indicted that you would come out and take note of all the overgrowth growing onto the sidewalks and give specific instructions (advising homeowner the overgrowth growing onto sidewalks and not just overgrowth in general) to the people who have not responded to your last notice. Again, please also advise the houses on the corner that it is not just the front of their house that they are responsible. They are also responsible for the overgrowth coming out from under their fence onto the sidewalk on the side of their house. I was first advised that people who did not comply would be fined. That never happened. The families in the neighborhood that do comply and have in fact been also doing the entire sidewalk, because that is what we were told we had to do, have been living with this overgrowth all summer long and it's just a mess. What is going to be different about the notices they get now? Can you please send someone to clean up the sidewalks Harvard and Henry. Maybe they can do what is coming from under fences too since the same homeowners who are always a problem are never going to do it. Thank you

Elsa Zhao (Health Department) assigned this issue to Department of Public Works

Due to the age and nature of this request, it is being closed by the City of Malden. If this issue is still relevant today, please open a new request or reopen this request with updated details. (CR)