Just off Highway 31 in Coteau Ridge Estates, besides road conditions that residents deal with daily, there’s another issue. According to one resident, trash cans often tip over because of the uneven foundation, causing garage to spread to surrounding property.

Melvin Bradley, a St. Landry Parish resident, says, “We have our trash pickup on a Wednesday. Sometimes they put their trash out on a Saturday, loose trash, which is not even acceptable for the ordinance that we have over here.”

Loose trash means anything not inside the bins, which is an open invitation for rodents and stray pets. “Putting a Walmart bag out there and the dog gets to it and you got baby diapers, trash, loose trash and the dog tears it up all down Old Spanish Road.”

When it comes to the street, or lack thereof, Michelle Taylor has lived in Coteau Ridge Estates for eight years. She says when the road is at its worse, residents have a system in place. “We go knocking door-to-door to ask the residents to put in at least $250-$500 to try and repair the road.”

Taylor says when they purchased the property, they bought up to the center of the road. According to Parish President Bill Fontenot, for the parish to consider adopting the road, because it is private, the residents must bring it up to minimal standards. That means it must be at least 20 feet wide, with a decent gravel surface.

Representatives with Progressive Waste Solutions say they are looking at options like using smaller trucks to come down the road and collect the garbage from the front of each home.