Today was the deadline for a Colorado Springs man to clean up his yard. He had hoarded so much stuff at his Skyway home that the City of Colorado Springs took the unusual step of taking him to court.

Thomas Taylor has spent the last three weeks sorting and scrapping the various odds and ends lying around his yard trying to avoid a fine.

"The biggest part is not so much getting rid of it but is actually making the decision to get rid of; what's being kept, what's being stored, what's being given away and stuff like that," Taylor said.

A few weeks ago we showed you how his hobby of building Koi ponds and his love of bargain hunting had eventually overwhelmed his yard with junk. Neighbors say their properties have lost value as a result.

Taylor may have to pay up to a $2,000 fine if clean up isn't thorough enough. Touring the grounds this morning, code enforcement officer Deborah Stewart said she'd like to see more done.

"He's got a lot of progress but there's still a lot to be done."

Nevertheless, Taylor says doing this much cleaning has inspired him to restore the yard to its former glory, with green grass and sparkling ponds.

"I want to enjoy living here. This has not always been a pleasure. It's nice to be able to drive the car up to the front door, carry your groceries in and stuff like that."

Taylor says wants to have the yard ready by next summer's pond and garden tour

Source: News First 5