City of Midvale says it will clean up ‘residential junk yard’ to keep residents safe

MIDVALE, Utah – There’s one house that sticks out like a sore thumb on Harrison Street, for all the wrong reasons. Neighbor call it the ‘residential junk yard.’

The house at 8213 South Harrison Street was condemned by the health department in 2016, and the city has had a ‘long history’ with the residence, Midvale city spokesperson Laura Magness said.

“The City Code Enforcement has sent them numerous violations over the years, but they (the homeowners) have not been compliant. We currently do have a lean on the property,” Magness said.

Neighbors are “fed up” with the trash and junk everywhere.

“It’s total chaos,” Vincent Millet said.

Across-the-street neighbor Brody Malay says he’s called the police “at least 100 times” but said, “The cops show up, they (the homeowners) go inside, the cops leave and nothing ever gets done.”

Millet described “mounds” of trash, “seven to eight cars, 15 snow mobiles, 10 lawn mowers, lots of lumber, it’s a mess.”

Magness said the city has “bulk pick up” trash days once a month, a new service to the city of Midvale.

“Since the homeowner shows no sign of wanting to be compliant, we will have our public works department come out Friday (tomorrow) and pick up the trash in the street and in the road to keep the residents safe,” she said.

“They ought to size the house,” Malay said.

However Millet said he “hopes someone can help the man living there because he doesn’t have a lot of money or a place to go, it’s a sad situation.”