Residents tell Bluff City board of needles, odors and public-safety concerns on Old Elizabethton Highway

Bluff City — Residents from the Old Elizabethton Highway area told the Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen that a multi-year pattern of disorder — litter, discarded needles, noisy fighting and sewage odors — is making the neighborhood unlivable and prompting some residents to move.

"There's needles, you know... I can't have my grandkids come over anymore because of fighting, cussing," resident Gary Sharp told the board, describing what he said is a four-year pattern of nuisance activity. Sharp said he has picked up waste from his yard and described repeated incidents that he said have harmed quality of life.

Board members and staff urged residents to report incidents to the police department, which was described as available 24/7, and asked the speaker to remain after the meeting so staff could follow up. "If you'll stay after the meeting, I'd like to talk to you," one official said.

Several board members acknowledged long-standing problems in the neighborhood and said the town has a stack of files documenting past reports. One board member emphasized the town would follow up and thanked the speaker for coming to the meeting to put the matter on the public record.

Speakers urged residents to contact the police for immediate safety concerns and to provide written information so staff can investigate longer-running sanitation and code-enforcement issues. The meeting record did not include a specific enforcement action or new program; officials said they will pursue follow-up conversations with the resident and relevant staff.