Dr. Paul Bussman, who operates a dental office at 1625 Main Avenue SW, used the public-comment period to tell the Cullman City Council that debris and a new pile of gravel staged near his office have attracted pests and are lowering his property value.

Bussman said trees removed during nearby church construction were moved to city property north of his office, where a dirt pile remained for more than a year. He said the condition led to sightings of rats, raccoons, possums and armadillos and that this week dump trucks began bringing additional gravel from Graham Street construction into the same lot. “This is about 150 feet outside my operatory windows,” Bussman said, and he asked the city to remove the materials immediately, citing the city’s nuisance ordinance that bans open storage of building materials and similar accumulations on property within city limits.

Mayor Jacobs later explained the Graham Street work is a deep-reclamation project and that millings and material had been staged temporarily because they were not compatible with the street department’s millings stockpile; he said staff were instructed to keep the pile as far north as possible and to remove it quickly.

Council members thanked Bussman for raising the concern. The city did not announce a specific removal date at the meeting; staff follow-up was indicated.