Town of Tonawanda property owned by Verizon not being maintained

People who live on Riverdale Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda told 7 Problem Solvers that a small privately-owned lot on their street is attracting rats to the neighborhood.

"I walk my dog over there, I saw a rat two times," said John Peck, who contacted 7 Problem Solvers. "Kids walking back and forth from school bus...One of them is going to jump out and bite them."

7 Problem Solvers' Michael Schwartz went to check it out on Thursday afternoon and saw that the grass was more than two feet tall. Through Erie County records, Schwartz found the narrow piece of land is owned by Verizon NY Inc. A company by the name of Duff & Phelps is also listed.

Schwartz called both companies and the Town of Tonawanda Building Department. A town employee told Schwartz that an inspector would soon come out to take a look at the overgrown lot, and from there, a certified letter would be mailed to the property owner.

If it's not addressed within a week of the property owner receiving the letter, a contractor will go out to the site.

7 Problem Solvers will keep tabs on this, but in the meantime, if you have a consumer issue you can email 7ProblemSolvers@WKBW.com