{"id":428130,"date":"2025-12-06T05:45:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T05:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/428130\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T05:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T05:45:13","slug":"west-side-business-calls-for-city-support-amid-persistent-trash-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/428130\/","title":{"rendered":"West Side business calls for city support amid persistent trash, damage"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 One dumpster has created big problems for a West Side business.<\/p>\n

Damages and illegal dumping have cost Celebrate Dental & Braces on West Commerce Street thousands of dollars, Dr. Clark Hepworth said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating,\u201d Hepworth said. \u201cThis appears to be somebody\u2019s personal trash.\u201d<\/p>\n

After about eight years, Hepworth said the problems have spun out of control and called the city for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI called code enforcement, and they told me to call the police,\u201d Hepworth said. \u201cI had the police come out and do a police report, but they said they can\u2019t do anything and to call code enforcement. It\u2019s a conundrum here.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hepworth has multiple cameras, but he said that hasn\u2019t stopped the crimes.<\/p>\n

Video shared with KSAT shows people dropping their trash, damaging his dumpster and even starting a fire. He said that\u2019s only a few of the problems he\u2019s dealt with. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent about eight thousand dollars in new glass (because of it being shattered) over the years,\u201d Hepworth said. \u201cSomebody came and stole electrical fuses out of the boxes here.\u201d <\/p>\n

Since the start of the year, call logs show San Antonio police have been called to his business more than 20 times, but Hepworth said he doesn\u2019t call in every incident. Development Services confirmed one code enforcement call. <\/p>\n

When KSAT reached out to SAPD about this business\u2019s calls, a spokesperson for the department said that for certain illegal dumping cases, SAPD does respond initially, but then Code Enforcement or the Solid Waste Management Department usually takes over. <\/p>\n

A spokesperson for SWMD said business owners should call 311 after an instance of illegal dumping. Typically, the spokesperson said SWMD can help remove debris in a day or two with no fee. <\/p>\n

But Hepworth said it hasn\u2019t been that easy, which is why he\u2019s calling for help.<\/p>\n

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