The problem: A stump remains after a street tree was cut down in Northwest Baltimore.

The back story: Ida Cox had called and called.

In the past few years, city contractors have cut down some street trees on her block of West Cold Spring Lane in the Callaway-Garrison neighborhood. One on her block was cut at least five years ago, she said, and another in front of the walk to her house was cut down about three years ago.

"They were diseased and they were all in the electrical wiring," said Cox. "They had to come down."

But no one ever came back to remove the stumps.

She reported it to 311, but got no response.

"They would never give me a reason," Cox said. "They still had my code, and it was going to be done."

In the meantime, the stump in front of her door began to decay and became infested with insects, including termites, Cox said. When Watchdog visited the site, mushrooms had started to grow.

"It's unsightly," Cox said. "It didn't look well, and I thought it was sort of dangerous."

It also made it hard for her to board and get off the vans that come to pick her up for her dialysis treatments.

The problem stemmed from errors in the 311 service request database, said Baltimore Recreation and Parks Department spokeswoman Michele Speaks-March.

The department oversees Baltimore's street trees. Contractors working for the city cut down diseased trees and remove stumps, she said.

"If a stump is on a public property, it is our responsibility to remove it," Speaks-March said.

There were originally several stumps in the area near this address, and one had been removed in 2007, the spokeswoman said.

So although Cox called several times to report the stump, "it probably kept coming out as it was removed," she said.

But there's no need for her to call any longer.

Contractors removed the stump Thursday, as well as the other stump nearby, Cox said.

Who can fix this: William Vondrasek, acting chief of parks, Baltimore Parks and Recreation. 410-396-7931. City residents should call 311 to report problems.

— Liz F. Kay

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Is there something in your neighborhood that's not getting fixed? Tell us where the problem is and how long it's been there by e-mailing watchdog@baltsun.com or calling 410-332-6735.