Southeast Houston residents say trash, standing water and unfinished construction create eyesore that lasts for years

HOUSTON — Unfinished construction, trash, debris and stagnant drainage water are some of the problems plaguing a relatively new Southeast community that people who live there say would otherwise be beautiful.

Residents of this stretch of Marciano Street say they feel stuck between two problems that have persisted for years. There’s a destroyed sidewalk and, at the other end of the block, an illegal dump.

“Since we moved in, it’s like it’s unfinished,” Roni Moland said.

“This has been going on for about two years,” said another resident named TA Raglin.

“It’s pretty dangerous. We have to go out into the street because we can’t keep walking on the sidewalk, on the sidewalk. So if you’re walking your dog or you’re walking your child, you have to go to the other side of the street or down the street,” Moland said.

“We went back and forth to 311 to see if they could be completed, resolved and they weren’t,” Raglin said.

In Marciano and Almeda Genoa there appears to be a major drainage problem.

“It’s not really draining that much, I see some debris, but what worries me the most is the water staying in,” said another neighbor who asked to remain anonymous.

“Like a couch cushion that’s been there for a long time, it looks like there was some kind of accident or someone threw an automobile bumper into the ditch as well,” Raglin said, adding that he had also been there for two years.

Regarding illegal dumping, we contacted District D Councilor Carolyn Evans Shabaaz, who assured us that her office has what’s called a “responsive team” that she plans to send there to resolve the problem quickly.

“I saw boats, beds, chairs, just trash, just clothes thrown in and around the neighborhood,” Moland said.

As for the sidewalk, a Houston public works official said the first call came in October of last year. They assured us that they were also interested in the problem.

“It’s very frustrating knowing that we pay our taxes and we’re good citizens and everything, and we’re just trying to have a great community,” Raglin said.

Shabaaz and Public Works officials say residents did the right thing. They called 311 to report the problem and got case numbers. If you do this and several weeks pass with no change, that’s when you contact Deven Clarke at [email protected]