For months, city officials and workers from nearby businesses have been quietly complaining about the trash heap at 10th and Wacouta streets in downtown St. Paul.

Piles of discarded clothes, a ripped tarp, a broken sofa recliner and other detritus lay strewn just off the intersection.

“It’s a mess. Little kids are by here and see this garbage,” said Debbie Barr, who works within walking distance.

City officials forced a small camp of homeless residents to move out of the area in December, and the group left behind unsightly belongings.

Since then, the city has been hesitant to send in Parks and Rec workers to clean up the mess. The land owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

“The city has been working diligently to try to get MnDOT to do the cleanup,” said Robert Humphrey, a spokesman with the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections.

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New Lunds & Byerlys store to anchor development at St. Paul’s former Ford site If the land were privately owned, city workers would remove the garbage and the city would assess property owners for the costs. In this case, city officials say they have no authority.

“We’ve been trying since December to get this cleaned up,” Humphrey said.

Recently, state officials told the city they would solicit bids for the clean up. By Thursday, city officials were told the clean up could happen as soon as April 5.