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'That makes the whole community look horrible': Neighbors complain about unusual home

'That makes the whole community look horrible': Neighbors complain about unusual home
HOMEOWNER ABOUT THE UNUSUAL HOME? AT FIRST GLANCE THIS HOME HERE ON 5TH AVENUE APPEARS TO BE EITHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS, BUT THE HOMEOWNER TELLS ME IT’S ALL A PART OF HIS PLAN TO PREPARE FOR WAR HUNDREDS OF SANDBAGS PILED HIGH PLASTIC IN PLACE OF GRASS FISHING LINES ACROSS THE YARD AND DOZENS OF PEANUT BUTTER JARS. SOME NEIGHBORS SAY IT’S AN EYESORE. WE’RE HERE IN THE CITY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT OUR PLACE TO LOOK GOOD THAT MAKES THE COMMUNITY LOOK HORRIBLE AND IS ATTRACTING UNWANTED ATTENTION IN THIS SHEPHERDSVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I BET YOU WE HAVE FIVE OR 10 CARS, YOU KNOW THAT COMES HERE AND TAKES PICTURE. THEY’LL BE STOPPED OUT HERE AND GET OUT AND TAKE PICTURES OF THAT YET. JONATHAN COOPER SAYS THERE’S A REASON THE HOMEOWNER IS CONCERNED ABOUT SECURITY PART OF YOUR PREPARING IS TO BE IN A STATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OF THAT CONDITION ALREADY. SO YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED I’M NOT USING MY VEHICLE RIGHT NOW A BICYCLE IS HIS ONLY TRANSPORTATION. HE SHUT OFF ELECTRICITY IN THE HOME AND EVERY ENTRYWAY IN THE HOUSE EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE OPENING IN THE BACK. HE SAYS IT’S BLOCKED. SOME NEIGHBORS ARE WORRIED. IT COULD AFFECT THEIR HEALTH DUE TO THE STANDING WATER AND BUGS. YEAH. I GOT AIR FROM MY GRANDSON GOT AIR. I’M A DIABET IN THERE. ALL KINDS OF JUNK. I MEAN GREEN WATER RUNNING OVER THERE ON ME. HE HAS BAGS OF CORN THAT’S BUSTED OPEN MAGGOTS IS COMING OUT OF IT VALERIE MOORE WHO LIVES RIGHT? NEXT DOOR SAYS SHE’S REACHED OUT TO CITY OFFICIALS TO COMPLAIN BUT BULLITT COUNTY OFFICIALS. TELL US COOPER IS NOT VIOLATING ANY CODES THEN NOW THEY TELL ME THAT I NEED TO GIVE PETITION UP AND LET ALL THE NEIGHBOR SIGN IT I DON’T HAVE TIME TO DO ALL THAT BUT MORE SAYS SO KEEP HIGHLIGHTING THIS ISSUE UNTIL IT GETS RESOLVED. I DON’T CARE. THANKS, BUT IT NEEDS TO GO. MEAN WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THIS FOR TWO MONTHS IN SHEPHERDSVILLE, ALEXIS MATHEWS WLKY NEWS. AND WITHOUT ELECTRICITY COOPER IS COOKING ON PROPANE GRILLS IN THE HOUSE AND HAS
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'That makes the whole community look horrible': Neighbors complain about unusual home
Hundreds of sandbags piled high, plastic in place of grass, fishing lines across the yard and dozens of peanut butter jars make up the house on Fifth Avenue.Some neighbors say it's an eye sore and could lower their property value."We're here in the city and we want our place to look good," said Valerie Moore, a next-door neighbor. "That makes the whole community look horrible."Moore says it's also attracting unwanted attention in the Shepherdsville neighborhood."I bet you we have five or 10 cars that stop get out and take pictures of it. I guess they've never seen anything like it," she said.Jonathan Cooper, the homeowner, says the reason the home is like this is because he's concerned about security, specifically a foreign attack."Part of preparing is being in a state as much as possible of that condition already, so you might have noticed I'm not using my vehicle right now," Cooper said.A bicycle is his only transportation, he shut off electricity in the home, and every entryway in the house except for one opening in the back is blocked."Some of them seem very supportive, some of them are not, a lot of them are quizzical," Cooper said. "Before I went this direction with everything, I actually gave a handout in the community to everyone in the neighborhood."Some neighbors, like Moore, are also worried about the smell, and how the state of the property could affect their health. They reference the standing water and bugs."My husband has stage three kidney failure, lung problems, and is diabetic," she said. "We can't even sit outside and enjoy our lives; I think it's terrible."Below is an aerial video of the house.Moore and others have reached out to city officials to complain, but Bullitt County officials tell us Cooper is not violating any codes right now. Yet Moore is determined to keep the issue at the forefront until it’s resolved."They tell me I need to get a petition and have all the neighbors sign it," Moore said. "I don't care what it takes, but it needs to go. I mean we have been fighting this for two months."Without electricity, Cooper says he is cooking on a propane grill in the house. He also has a stock of propane tanks to last him for two years.

Hundreds of sandbags piled high, plastic in place of grass, fishing lines across the yard and dozens of peanut butter jars make up the house on Fifth Avenue.

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Some neighbors say it's an eye sore and could lower their property value.

"We're here in the city and we want our place to look good," said Valerie Moore, a next-door neighbor. "That makes the whole community look horrible."

Moore says it's also attracting unwanted attention in the Shepherdsville neighborhood.

"I bet you we have five or 10 cars that stop get out and take pictures of it. I guess they've never seen anything like it," she said.

Jonathan Cooper, the homeowner, says the reason the home is like this is because he's concerned about security, specifically a foreign attack.

"Part of preparing is being in a state as much as possible of that condition already, so you might have noticed I'm not using my vehicle right now," Cooper said.

A bicycle is his only transportation, he shut off electricity in the home, and every entryway in the house except for one opening in the back is blocked.

"Some of them seem very supportive, some of them are not, a lot of them are quizzical," Cooper said. "Before I went this direction with everything, I actually gave a handout in the community to everyone in the neighborhood."

Some neighbors, like Moore, are also worried about the smell, and how the state of the property could affect their health. They reference the standing water and bugs.

"My husband has stage three kidney failure, lung problems, and is diabetic," she said. "We can't even sit outside and enjoy our lives; I think it's terrible."

Below is an aerial video of the house.

Moore and others have reached out to city officials to complain, but Bullitt County officials tell us Cooper is not violating any codes right now. Yet Moore is determined to keep the issue at the forefront until it’s resolved.

"They tell me I need to get a petition and have all the neighbors sign it," Moore said. "I don't care what it takes, but it needs to go. I mean we have been fighting this for two months."

Without electricity, Cooper says he is cooking on a propane grill in the house. He also has a stock of propane tanks to last him for two years.