Tuesday, May 18, 2004
The city expects the contractor to fix the problem by the end of summer.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bob Lilko just wants the dry back yard he had a few years ago.
That was before a city sewer project came through his West Side neighborhood.
Since then, he and his neighbors on Meredyth Lane say their previously dry back yards are left waterlogged. He is concerned that the city has released the contractor from the project and doesn't plan to do any more about the soggy yards.
"What I'm saying is, people deserve better than this," said Lilko, who is scheduled to speak to city council Wednesday. "I just want my back yard."
The city, however, expects the contractor will fix the problem by the end of summer, said Carmen Conglose Jr., deputy director of public works.
Conglose said he understands the residents' concerns but that grading the yards properly to eliminate excess water will take some more time.
Residents have been patient, Lilko said.
The project
The city used eminent domain -- the government's right to use private property for a public purpose -- two years ago to install a section of sewer line between Kirk Road and Burma Drive, he said. Eminent domain requires the city via its contractor, A.P. O'Horo, of Liberty, to return the property to the condition it was in before the project, he said.
But water pools in the back yards whenever it rains, Lilko said. About half his yard stays wet, he said.
Neighbors complained repeatedly and the contractor came back three different times, Lilko said. But the contractor just put down grass seed in the wet area instead of doing what's needed to make the ground dry, he said.
"A two-year-old could tell what's wrong with the back yard. It's simple. Put some dirt in there. Are they blind?" Lilko asked. "They planted and planted and planted. It's still not done."
Conglose agrees the yards on Meredyth still need work.
Liable
The city declared the project substantially complete in September of last year and paid the contractor, he said. The city's contract, however, still leaves the contractor liable for maintenance issues for one year after the project is done, he said.
Conglose expects A.P. O'Horo to return to the neighborhood before the end of September, he said. The solution likely will involve additional topsoil as Lilko suggests, he said.
The contractor made a good-faith effort last year to restore the backyards on Meredyth, he said. Heavy rains last summer made it hard to do a sufficient job, Conglose said.
"Grading mud is very difficult," he said.
The city twice ordered the contractor to better address the yards before paying the company, Conglose said. The need for more work re-emerged this spring, he said.
rgsmith@vindy.com