Couple want city to fix neighborhood's sewers

An engineer found multiple flaws in the development's storm sewer system.
By VALERIE BANNER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CORTLAND -- Stacie and Ray Salyard want the city to fix the sewer problems that caused more than four feet of water to come rushing into their basement last month.
They told city council Monday night the water ruined their finished basement, destroying a computer, big-screen TV and surround sound system, their 6-year-old daughter's toys, holiday decorations, carpet, drywall and personal items, such as photographs.
"We couldn't save anything because the water was electrically charged," said Stacie Salyard. "This is just devastating."
They are just one of several families in Cortland's Shepherds Hill development whose homes became surrounded by water. The neighborhood's developer, officials have been told, did not follow building plans and gave incorrect information to the city.
Council members said they will give Anthony Petrocco and his company, W.A.E. Corp., the opportunity to fix the problems. The developer did not attend council's meeting.
Damage estimate
The Salyards estimate damage to their $162,000 home at more than $47,000. They have received $5,000 from their insurance company and another $5,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, they said.
They moved into their home on Laura Lane in May 2002 and took extra measures to keep their basement dry, but could not keep out the water during July's storms.
The city has hired MS consultants, a Youngstown-based engineering firm, to investigate the reasons for the excessive flooding in Shepherds Hill along Laura Lane and Anthony Circle and plans to meet with the developer to find a solution.
Flaws alleged
Donald Wittman, MS project engineer, said he found multiple flaws in the development's storm sewer system that contributed to the water problem.
Wittman said he discovered that the developer's proposal was significantly different from the work that was actually done in the area.
The sewer system was not installed correctly, the pipes were laid too shallow or too small and, in some places, the pipes are placed so that water would have to flow uphill, Wittman said.
Much of the land is not sloped according to plans and it is flat in one spot where it should slope. A retention basin was not built to catch excess water.
"Right now, the water has no place to go," Wittman said, adding the problems arose because the developer didn't follow the plans and some calculations given to the city were wrong.
Cortland's service director, Paul Makosky, had reviewed Petrocco's project before construction began, but city officials were vague on who should have inspected the development to make sure the plans were followed.
Petrocco, Wittman and Cortland law director Patrick Wilson plan to meet on the issue. Council set a seven-day deadline Monday for submission of a plan from the developer to correct the sewer system's flaws.
Wilson said W.A.E. Corp. will not receive any more building permits in the city, and the service department will help residents with temporary fixes until a long-term solution is reached.
In the meantime, Stacie Salyard said her family and her neighbors are stuck with the bills and the cleanup.
"It's the homeowner that pays," she said. "I already paid for this once. It's a nightmare."