Albert Lea Discussion Forum » Printable Version of Topic

Forum: Current Events
Topic: Virginia Place Reconstruction
started by: alcitizens

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 19 2016,12:22 pm

People have asked for updates..

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 19 2016,12:26 pm

City of Albert Lea Photo..

< http://cityofalbertlea.org/2015-sewer-water-street-contract-no-1-1557/ >

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 19 2016,12:27 pm

City of Albert Lea Photo..

< http://cityofalbertlea.org/2015-sewer-water-street-contract-no-1-1557/ >

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 19 2016,12:29 pm

City of Albert Lea Photo..

< http://cityofalbertlea.org/2015-sewer-water-street-contract-no-1-1557/ >

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 22 2016,5:07 am

Connection of 27-inch to 38-inch storm sewer reinforced concrete pipe.. All storm sewer pipe for Virginia Pl was delivered in 2015 except for the pipe in this photo..

Nice Improvement.. :thumbsup:

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 22 2016,11:41 am

The hump or dip in the road that was installed by MnDOT on Broadway Ave. that you see here along with the increased pipe size in the photo above will reduce flooding on Virginia Pl drastically..

Thank God.. :notworthy:

Posted by was1 on Apr. 25 2016,10:43 am

Thanks for the updated photos

Was the 38" pipe always called for in the plans or did they upsize this due to your efforts?

Is that 38" taking water away from the area or to the area?

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 26 2016,2:27 am

27-inch storm sewer pipe from the East(Photo) and a 27-inch storm sewer pipe(Above Photo) from the West..

City Engineer Steven Jahnke P. E. is a Con Man by saying the storm sewer system on Virginia Pl is properly sized..

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 26 2016,11:47 pm

(was1 @ Apr. 25 2016,10:43 am)

QUOTE

Thanks for the updated photos

Was the 38" pipe always called for in the plans or did they upsize this due to your efforts?

Is that 38" taking water away from the area or to the area?

Last fall I showed the City Engineers where the flooding begins, from the large storm drain on the west side of Virginia Pl in the green field connected to the pipe coming from Broadway Ave in a catch basin..

I showed them the damage caused by that storm drain and asked them if they could engineer a way to keep the storm water in the street..

Obviously they found the bottleneck that has caused so much flooding for decades and increased the pipe size to eliminate that bottleneck..

Its all about progress.. :thumbsup:

Posted by was1 on Apr. 27 2016,12:08 pm

Glad you kept after them and got some things corrected.

Hopefully they are also working on getting the lift station sizing and outlet issue addressed as well.

Keep up the good battle.

Posted by alcitizens on May 03 2016,4:09 am

Bottleneck Alert..

The pipe size at C should be the same size as the pipe that runs west at 1209 Virginia Pl..

Posted by alcitizens on May 03 2016,4:23 am

A & C above are the same size storm sewer pipe..

Posted by was1 on May 03 2016,9:46 am

Not necessarily - depends on the slope of the pipes

Posted by alcitizens on May 03 2016,7:51 pm

I agree..

Posted by was1 on May 10 2016,7:41 am

How's the progress now?

Any more discussion from the City regarding upping the lift station capacity and the outlet pipe to truly solve the flooding issue?

Posted by alcitizens on May 17 2016,6:27 am

Today.. Soil change..

Posted by was1 on May 18 2016,2:36 pm

looks like they are in the black peat. that is where there will continue to be settling issues for the utilities and the road.

Posted by alcitizens on May 29 2016,7:52 am

Friday, 05-27-2016

Posted by Self-Banished on May 30 2016,5:39 am

^^Will it work?

Posted by was1 on Jun. 01 2016,7:44 am

I assume there will be some decent settling by this time next year, especially over all utility trenches that were open cut. Should also see a good elevation change at all the driveways, especially during the winter when frost in in the ground.

Don't get me wrong, it will still be much better than what there was there (which wasn't much more than glorified gravel). But things could have been done a little differently, at not much more cost, and lasted much longer.

Still very concerned on flooding and overall storm water management.

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 02 2016,12:27 pm

(Self-Banished @ May 30 2016,5:39 am)

QUOTE

^^Will it work?

I will let you know quickly if anything doesn't work.. :laugh:

You will see a picture or video of every failure posted right here as they happen.. Hopefully there will be few failures..

Posted by was1 on Jun. 07 2016,8:00 am

must be getting close to having some concrete work done. That's always exciting and gets things looking good again.

Posted by was1 on Jun. 16 2016,7:47 am

well? Things getting paved yet?

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 16 2016,10:38 pm

(was1 @ Jun. 16 2016,7:47 am)

QUOTE

well? Things getting paved yet?

So far no concrete or pavement.. Should be starting soon.. :popcorn:

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 16 2016,10:40 pm

Can't wait!! :hairpull:

Posted by was1 on Jun. 17 2016,7:27 am

What's the holdup been? Looked like from the photos a couple weeks ago that things should have been getting concrete and paving by now.

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 17 2016,7:01 pm

Ulland Bros. and their subcontractors appear to be spread pretty thin..

They have work going on everywhere.. :help:

Posted by mrugly on Jun. 17 2016,9:26 pm

Didn't ulland bros get fined last year for making the completion of lakeview blvd late or was it another contractor?

Posted by mrugly on Jun. 17 2016,9:36 pm

Just found the article for that. < fines for ulland bros for lakeview blvd >

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 20 2016,10:30 pm

According to the City Engineer this project was suppose to be done November 1, 2015.. He said the contractors will want to get in and get out by that date because it is required in the contract..

My street is no more than a dangerous gravel road with drop offs.. My neighbor fell off the edge of the road while mowing..

I doubt Ulland Brothers have ever been fined by the City of Albert Lea for breaking a contract.. :angry:

Posted by was1 on Jun. 21 2016,12:32 pm

If they were going to be getting fined for not meeting the completion date, they would have been in there by now getting it done. Leaving it as it is creates a liability for them with someone getting hurt or someone damaging their vehicle.

I know years ago, Ulland was the only game in town. No one else bid on any project that required bituminous. Any work for Albert Lea was just the gravy to them. Do the work when it would fit in, work on their other projects at the detriment to the ones in Albert Lea, because the other places would hold them to completion dates, but not here.

Then a couple other companies started sniffing around, got some work, and Ulland had to sharpen their pencil.

Maybe City will finally hold them to their contract. But then again, they don't hold themselves to doing the right thing in the engineering design and construction of the project so why would the hold the contractor responsible for anything either.

Posted by mrugly on Jun. 21 2016,12:57 pm

I didn't say they were being fined for this project yet. I was referring to last year's major project. Click the link that i posted in this topic earlier and you can read what i was talking about!

Posted by was1 on Jun. 21 2016,3:50 pm

I did read the article. I was referring to what ALCit side the City Engineer commented to, that they were to be done last fall.

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 27 2016,10:14 pm

July 1st will be 11 months since the project was to begin on August 1, 2015..

Better late than never.. :beer:

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 28 2016,10:04 pm

Engineers discuss need for long-term roads package

< http://www.albertleatribune.com/2016...package >

And nothing mentioned about the $10 million that Jahnke wants to spend building his new Public Works Development.. Money that would go a long way towards improved roads along with underground infrastructure..

Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 30 2016,9:36 pm

Flooding occurred once again on Virginia Place Thursday morning..

Flooding was less severe than normal..

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 01 2016,9:19 pm

Today.. No new concrete on 5th St or Virginia Pl..

Picture Sucks.. :blush:

Posted by was1 on Jul. 05 2016,12:19 pm

good to hear flooding was not as bad. It does depend on the amount of rain and its intensity however.

Also, probably helped not having all the pavement, etc in place so the water could better soak in before it was running off.

hopefully they get the concrete and bituminous in place soon. And the flooding is actually reduced.

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 12 2016,12:48 pm

The New catch basin next to 1201 Virginia Pl sits half full with storm water.

This means the 42-inch pipe is falling backwards.. Storm water has to be pushed uphill to get to the lift station.. The line is restricted..

The line coming from Broadway Ave enters this catch basin on the right..

This is Bullcrap!!

Posted by was1 on Jul. 13 2016,7:52 am

trying to figure out what is all going into that storm structure. Guessing that the higher and smaller two pipes (roughly 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock) are drain tile. You said the larger one at 2 o'clock is from Broadway then there is the outlet at about 11 o'clock and it looks like another pipe at about 8 o'clock that I'm guessing is coming from a catch basin. I also see that the interior of this structure has not been properly completed. none of the areas around the pipes have been back plastered. With the previous rain you referred to that you got, I'm surprised that I can not see evidence in the photo of material coming into the structure between the pipe and the structure openings that have not been back plastered yet.

A couple of things could be going on:
1) outlet pipe has back fall as you noted
2) outlet pipe has debris in it that his backing up the water (material come through the areas between the pipe and the structure openings and then plug the outlet?)
3) whatever the outlet pipe connects to is not properly outletted and is backing up
4) the outlet and his structure have already settled due to the poor underlying soils.

I'm sure you will be contacting the City today to inform them of this. I hope they have a reason for this and rectify this ASAP.

Keep us posted and good luck!

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 13 2016,5:02 pm

42-inch outlet is on the left and the 36-inch inlet is on the right coming from Broadway..

Catch basin did sink and possibly creating a sag..

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 13 2016,5:10 pm

Photo shows location of the next catch basin downstream that has no standing water..

Somewhere A begins to fall backwards and restricting proper flow..

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 13 2016,6:10 pm

If the City of Albert Lea can't manage the stormwater they send to us, they need to stop sending it to us..

Posted by was1 on Jul. 14 2016,12:42 pm

Not even a year old and already sinking/settling in the peat soils that are there. Only going to continue and get worse, for all the structures that were placed. At one time City was looking into putting all the utilities on piles, like they did years ago on Bridge Avenue. Must have deemed that to $$$$. They could have chosen other construction materials to lighten their weights and reduce the settling/sinking. Could have put in all PVC or HDPE pipe for the storm sewer, didn't have to be concrete. Same with the catch basins and other man hole structures. You can make them out of HDPE and they work just fine, and are way lighter.

They will have to re did that entire line and relay it. as well as that structure and the lines coming into it.

Cant wait to hear what the City has to say about it.

Too bad they just didn't do things right to begin with, and have done it years ago like they should have.

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 16 2016,4:02 am

Email sent to County Commissioners, City Councilmen and directed to City Engineer Steven Jahnke:

(--With no storm drains installed on June 30th all surface flood water was allowed to pool directly at this catch basin that was at least 2-feet deep.

I'm sure you'll blame the sag on poor soils but incompetence and flooding does the most damage to underground utilities..--)

was1, what would be the weight of just the water in a completely full catch basin that is 6-feet wide and about 6-feet deep? Thanks

Posted by nzeroesc on Jul. 16 2016,5:36 pm

Volume calculation is V = pi r^2 × h

So pi=3.14
r=6ft
h=6ft

3.14 * (3ft)^2 * 6ft = 169.65cft

1cft of water weighs 62.4lbs

62.4*169.65 = 10586lbs

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 16 2016,11:56 pm

Thanks much nzeroesc!

Over 5-tons of water inside the catch basin and that doesn't include another 2-feet of flood water on top..

Storm water on June 30th blew the steel cover off this New catch basin and flooding the neighborhood..

This story is becoming so sad.. :help:

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 17 2016,3:44 am

The damaged catch basin was buried with gravel on Tuesday and no storm drains were installed at this catch basin.. The flooding tonight was the worst I've ever experienced..

I was the proud owner of a lakefront property for nearly 2 hours.. :sarcasm:

The engineering department should feel really proud of having a 50 year old storm sewer system installed on Virginia Pl. at taxpayer expense..

It won't be long before we find out if the City honors the warranty to replace a new street that is failing..

Posted by was1 on Jul. 21 2016,11:05 am

Any damage from the flooding?

Any word on the storm structure with the settling/backfall issue?

If City would have done it right to begin with the flooding would not have been so bad

Also, if they would have had this project completed by now, like it was supposed to be, also would not be as bad as the storm sewer inlets would have been exposed and able to take the water, instead of further backing it up.

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 24 2016,2:53 am

This catch basin had a 2-foot concrete spacer ring removed and a non-sealed concrete cover put on top.. A steel plate covers the hole required for a manhole and is completely covered with 2-feet of gravel..

This sinking catch basin limits the flow of storm water from Broadway Ave. while allowing pipe (B) in the photo above to take priority.. Pipe (B) comes from 5th, 6th, 7th St., James Ave. and St. John..

The installers most likely blame the City and the City blames the installer..

Damage continues to be done to foundations and flooded basements..

Engineering in this town is pathetic..

Curb and gutter has been installed..

Posted by was1 on Jul. 28 2016,1:03 pm

did the city say or do anything about the flooding damage to homes?

Have they addressed the malfunctioning, newly installed, storm sewer?

I'm afraid, all your worst concerns are coming true

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 29 2016,12:07 am

(was1 @ Jul. 28 2016,1:03 pm)

QUOTE

did the city say or do anything about the flooding damage to homes?

Have they addressed the malfunctioning, newly installed, storm sewer?

I'm afraid, all your worst concerns are coming true

The City continues to do nothing to reduce flooding damage.. The City of Albert Lea Engineering Department wants to destroy the properties that have City utilities ran under their properties that need to be replaced..

The destruction of these properties allows the City to purchase them for pennies on the dollar..

City Engineer Steven Jahnke said my observations were incorrect.. Yet the photo of the catch basin I've posted several times has no access to be viewed by the public..

I ask city and county leaders to demand a visual inspection of this catch basin.. The only access is with heavy equipment to dig it up.. Once the asphalt is installed the street will need to be destroyed to view this catch basin.. No manhole installed..

Access is being refused by the City..

Sadly the City Engineer is a Crook and should be fired..

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 29 2016,5:00 am

I have a video of City Engineer Steven Jahnke saying that the Federal Government offered homeowners of the great flood of 1978 on Virginia Pl with a buyout, those that refused the buyout would never be eligible for this offer again..

In truth, residents were only offered up to $10,000 to relocate their house to another location.. Not a buyout..

Jahnke is a liar, liar, pants on fire..

Posted by was1 on Jul. 29 2016,7:58 am

They should be putting a manhole top on that structure with a manhole access. You NEVER leave a structure buried with out an access!

I would demand an on site meeting with the City Engineer, City Manager, Mayor and your City Councilor to show them your concern and get answers. This is really, really sad.

If nothing is resolved, band everyone together to object to the final assessments at the hearing.

I had heard for years that the CE was in way over his head, was never really qualified for the job. Seems to finally be coming to light.

Posted by alcitizens on Jul. 29 2016,8:52 am

Sidewalk was installed yesterday..

I'm going to wait and see if they pave over this catch basin without installing a manhole..

Even with a new manhole doesn't explain why a brand new catch basin with a new 36-inch pipe would be allowed to hold standing water and allowing the downstream line to fall backwards. This is a very expensive job that resulted in no improvement.. Very sad..

Posted by was1 on Aug. 01 2016,11:56 am

Wow. nearly 40 years to plan for the correction of the problems in the area, and they just slap stuff together, have a failure before the construction is completed and they don't even bother to correct it, or even care that they are basically throwing $ away and telling the residents basically, we don't care about you or your problems enough to give you more than a new street (that will fail soon) and a nice bill to go with it all.

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 02 2016,9:27 pm

The catch basin in the photo above has now been covered with asphalt without a manhole being installed to gain access..

First time I have ever heard of it being done.. :dunno:

Posted by was1 on Aug. 03 2016,7:40 am

That will normally be done with the first lift of bituminous. Then, prior to the final lift, the manholes will all be brought up with castings.

More concerning is that they know this part of the storm sewer has already FAILED and they are not doing anything about it.

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 06 2016,4:17 am

It has now been more than a year since this project was to begin..

Place your bets on whether a second and final layer of bituminous asphalt is laid down this year along with manholes, concrete driveway aprons, soil grading and sod along curb, gutter and sidewalks..

For me timelines were not an issue if proper improvements to the storm sewer system were made a priority by the City.. Albert Lea City Engineer Steven Jahnke only managed to put lipstick on a pig that continues to not only threaten residents with flooding but has already flooded many in the area with only a reported 2-1/2 inches of rain over less than 2 hours.. Not even God will be able to protect us from increased violent thunderstorms caused by the affects of global warming.. When this area reverts back to being a lake over the next 2 to 4 decades, I hope the City names it Jahnke Lake, after the creator..

I can only give Jahnke a Grade of F across the board.. Most people in other lines of work would have been Trumped(Fired) for such incompetence.. I have never seen a person use more excuses and flat out lies to protect his a$$ and nobody investigates to see if he is being accurate..

Obviously incompetence runs deeper than just Jahnke..

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 06 2016,4:20 am

That's All Folks!!

Posted by Self-Banished on Aug. 06 2016,5:23 am

(alcitizens @ Aug. 06 2016,4:20 am)

QUOTE

That's All Folks!!

Well done! :clap:

Posted by hymiebravo on Aug. 06 2016,11:41 am

.....

Posted by Self-Banished on Aug. 06 2016,12:09 pm

^^ prattle on little boy :rofl:

How's that 12 step thing going?

Posted by hymiebravo on Aug. 06 2016,12:17 pm

(Self-Banished @ Aug. 06 2016,12:09 pm)

QUOTE

^^ prattle on little boy :rofl:

How's that 12 step thing going?

You go girl! :thumbsup:

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 06 2016,12:43 pm

QUOTE

Effects of Glow Ball Warming.

I'd give a C for your part. Because you did the get road.

But - It seems you started out fighting for the road. Then you changed it up and made the flooding sewer issue your priority.

From an observer's POV namely mine. You have absolutely Horse Manure diplomatic skills. Coming on this forum and calling all the people from the city names not a good idea. You seem more interesting in prattling on about your superior knowledge in all things water and sewer related and the history of Virginia Place. Then getting results.

If you're going to prattle you better be able to write like Kurt Vonnegut.

And who did you ingratiate yourself with? The city, the state, the contractor doing the work? (I would have felt like you were stabbing in me in the back if you back-doored me like you did the people you asked for the road from)

No people like Self Banished.

Maybe he'll come down and help you bail water when it floods.

But don't count on it. He seems to like to spend all day and night prattling on his phone like some old woman on an old landline telephone tethered to the wall.

I respect your opinion but you don't start out asking for an improved storm sewer system before you get the City to commit to doing the reconstruction of the street.. That would be considered putting the cart before the horse resulting in nothing getting done..

I wish you would realize that a culture of silence or thinking it will be what it is only allows needed funds to go elsewhere.. Low interest rates was my main reason for beating the war drums for this project.. Funding dries up with high interest rates which results in another decade of dodging potholes and fearing 4-feet of flood water in the basement..

Desperate times call for desperate measures.. I would have loved using the nice approach but our local government doesn't hear nice people, comments go in one ear and out the other.. I do know that Commissioner Mike Lee and Councilman George Marin were very helpful and/or supportive during this long process..

And yes I have many years of plumbing experience and have worked in the trenches installing sewer pipe..

Lesson: Liquids run down hill..

Posted by was1 on Aug. 09 2016,8:57 am

The way I see it, the City (specifically the Engineering Department) has failed the residents along this project, at least the ones down in the area of alcitizens. And sadly, the City Council and Mayor do not care and for some reason will not question the City Engineer.

Some of the facts as I understand them
- Flooding has been an issue for at least 40 years for this area
- City has had this project on their CIP list for roughly 15 years
- City has struggled getting this done due to the high costs caused by
> poor soils (peat) under the roadway affecting not just the road but also the utilities (water, sanitary and storm)
> existing storm system, including lift station and outlet piping are vastly under sized to handle the storm water that gets to this area. over the years other changes have been made to increase the contributing area of storm water to this system sans improvements to the lift station and outlet piping
- Alcitizens has tried on MANY occasions to bring up the concern of the storm system and the flooding to the City Engineer, City Council, Mayor, and County Commissioners. None seem to care, understand, or want to do their jobs when it comes to this project and the legitimate concerns and ENGINEERING DESIGN FAILURES that are occurring on this project.
- Construction was originally to be completed last fall, nearly a year later and construction still is not done
- A construction failure has been identified, the new storm sewer has a sag, a manhole has standing water in it. This was pointed out to the Engineering Department and has not been corrected. Since then the curb and gutter has been installed as well as the first layer of bituminous. So, not only did the Engineering Department not design this project in a way that corrected the known flooding issues, it has allowed a failure to already occur in the storm system and is not going to correct it. So the new storm sewer that has been installed, is not functioning as designed, has reduced the capacity for transporting the storm water and will lead to more flooding issues.

Yes, sometimes Alcitizens maybe does not use the best approach, but I think anyone who has lived through this as he has, has brought up the issues and concerns as many times as he has with no results, is allowed to be frustrated and not be friendly anymore when dealing with the City Officials and Employees who do not care that they have totally messed up this project.

Alcitizens- keep up the fight, keep after the City Engineer, Mayor and Council. REFUSE to pay our assessment until they fix the failed new storm piping and manhole and until they schedule upgrades to the lift station and outlet pipe to eliminate the flooding.

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 18 2016,12:26 am

The final 2-inches of asphalt will not be placed until the spring of 2017.

Posted by mrugly on Aug. 18 2016,7:44 am

Won't the manhole things be sticking part way up still? If yes how will they plow the street this winter?

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 18 2016,9:48 am

(mrugly @ Aug. 18 2016,7:44 am)

QUOTE

Won't the manhole things be sticking part way up still? If yes how will they plow the street this winter?

Great question.. :clap:

From the City of Albert Lea website:

August 5, 2016 – It was a big week for this project. The contractor placed the first of two lifts of asphalt on the entire project. Next week they will begin restoring the boulevards, take care of a few remaining concrete items, and begin installing manhole castings and raising water valve covers to the surface, as well as doing general site cleanup. The final lift of bituminous will not be placed until the spring of 2017.

< http://cityofalbertlea.org/2015-sewer-water-street-contract-no-1-1557/ >

Posted by was1 on Aug. 18 2016,12:55 pm

Typically, the structures (manholes and water valves) are raised to the elevation of the first lift of bituminous and then raised again at the time of the final lift being placed, or just prior to it. I have seen where they bring the manholes and water valves up to the level of what the final pavement will be and then "ramp up" some bituminous around them for the winter. It works but is not the best way of doing this. Can jar the plow drivers, and peoples vehicles.

Will be very interesting to see the settling that occurs on this road the rest of this year, and especially next spring. Hopefully you will keep us posted.

Posted by ControlledHyperness on Aug. 24 2016,11:22 pm

First off, after having lived on Virginia Place for a year and a half (back in 2006-2007), I was sooooo happy to hear of the much needed reconstruction. But this....this is horrible!!! And to not even finish?!?! Makes me wonder what we will have to deal with traversing Frank Hall where they JUST took out some layers. Ulland Bros needs to get their act together...tho I doubt it will happen any time soon.

PS. Don't get me started on Jahnke. We have some signs that we were told that could be removed.. In 2007. Apparently the decision to remove them was/is left up to him. Even tho the person who wanted them up doesn't even live on our street. And is a pest to everyone on our street...and even the local LEOs. Tho...neighborhood kids DID help with the removal of one of the signs...so technically one can go back to parking anywhere they want...😂😂😂😂

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 25 2016,5:12 am

(was1 @ Aug. 09 2016,8:57 am)

QUOTE

was1 and others, I can only hope that the reason for the delay of the final layer of asphalt is because of the new sanitary sewer scheduled to be replaced from Broadway to the St. John/6th St. sanitary sewer lift station which involves Virginia Pl. in 2017.. Also corrections to the failed installation of the new 36-inch pipe at the new storm sewer catch basin that has standing water, the one without a manhole access to allow for an inspection..

My biggest dream for 2017 is the installation of a storm sewer system upgrade called the 6th St Plan that will cost $2 million, not $20 million and will come from the Albert Lea Water and Sewer Fund which would reduce flooding for many residents in many neighborhoods from 3 to 5 times every single year to a possibility of once every 10 years..

Posted by was1 on Aug. 29 2016,3:20 pm

ControlledHyperness - what does Ulland have to do with the issues on Virginia? They only build what the Engineer tells them to. And then they do what they can to have an advantage to make a few extra bucks during the project, but only what the Engineer allows them to.

Did the council pass an order to remove the signs? If so call your councilor and tell him they are still up. If not, request it through your councilor again.

ALCITIZENS - I bet if you look in the project specs it calls for the final lift of bituminous to be placed the year after the first course. If they were going to do anything to correct the failed new storm system they would have done it as soon as it was discovered so they did not have to dig up the new road. Doing the repair work later will only compromise the new road surface and make it fail sooner.

15 years in the making (actual time on the CIP) and it sounds like the City gets a D- on the project.

Posted by hymiebravo on Aug. 29 2016,8:39 pm

.....

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 30 2016,5:20 pm

Sanitary sewer catch basin/tank with a sag is full of solids at 1201 Virginia Pl.. Needs to be pumped..

Reported to the City..

Posted by alcitizens on Aug. 30 2016,11:14 pm

(was1 @ Aug. 29 2016,3:20 pm)

QUOTE

Obviously the City Engineers are not confident that the high cost of this project will be a success after the reconstruction of 2015 and 2016.. They need to finish it in 2017..

I told the Albert Lea City Council and Freeborn County Commissioners in 2015 that I don't feel my property will benefit after the reconstruction if flooding is allowed to continue.. I have also said that my only benefit would be not dealing with potholes anymore..

A simple replacement of a few sections of curb, gutter, sidewalk and the replacement of the road surface on Virginia Place would have saved those residents and the City close to $1 million..

Flooding will continue into the future..

This is my exact statement before the Freeborn County Board of Appeal and Equalization on Monday, June 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the County Boardroom.

I again want to say that my property value will not benefit from the improvements on Virginia Place by 20%. My house was listed at $45,000 in 2014, I paid $38,900.

If I decided to sell my house, I would be lucky if I could get what the estimated property value is currently, $67,000.

I will have to disclose what the City of Albert Lea said on May 26th. (Flooding will continue until upgrades to the storm sewer and lift station are made.)

At this time I have not heard of any attempt by the City to correct a four decade old flooding problem created by the City of Albert Lea and the Minnesota DOT.

I would hope that the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners will be able to influence the City of Albert Lea to correct this problem.

This problem is not caused by a lake or a river.

Thanks for listening. Do you have any questions?

This is my statement before the Albert Lea City Council on May 26, 2015 at the 38 minute mark..

< View on YouTube >

My statement was also reported in the Tribune..

QUOTE

Albert Lea Tribune

Council gives nod to street project
Published 9:44am Thursday, May 28, 2015

Residents still concerned about price, flooding

The Albert Lea City Council on Tuesday voted to move forward with the reconstruction of a portion of Virginia Place and Fifth Street.

The reconstruction includes 1,400 feet on Virginia Place from Fourth Street to Seventh Street and 1,200 feet on Fifth Street from South Broadway to St John Avenue, along with sidewalk and utilities replacement.

Albert Lea City Engineer Steven Jahnke said the streets are in poor condition and have been on the city’s project list since 2003. He said they have been a challenging project because of high cost.

Cost is estimated at $2.1 million, with 20 percent expected to come from assessments. The remainder is city cost and will be paid for through the sewer or water funds or from local bonding.

Jahnke said the average assessment is $7,275, while the highest is $14,820 per parcel.

During the Tuesday meeting, several people questioned the size of the assessments and whether the project would resolve other flooding issues in the area.

One property owner, Jay Johnson, said he is in favor of the project, but he questioned his assessment because he didn’t think his property value would gain much.

Another proper owner, Troy Christensen, said other than not having to deal with potholes, he does not see what benefit there would be. He said as long as there is periodic flooding in the area, that will lead to continued deterioration of the road.

Jahnke said the project does not resolve the flooding concerns in the area, but that flooding would likely still happen in the event of heavy rains. To solve the problem, the capacity at the lift station in that area would have to be doubled or tripled in size and the storm sewer line on every street from Virginia Place to Albert Lea Lake would have to be reconstructed.

Third Ward Councilor George Marin said he would like to see those issues tackled first and said he does not think it is right to push the costs on residents when the flooding is not fixed.

“Are we putting a lot of money into a project that we’re going to have to rip apart again?” he said. “That’s not a very good thing to do.”

At the same time, he said no one deserves to drive on roads that are in such poor condition.

The vote passed 6-0. Fourth Ward Councilor Reid Olson was absent.

< http://www.albertleatribune.com/2015...project >

Posted by was1 on Sep. 06 2016,12:55 pm

I hope you are able to really stress that at the final assessment hearing and get the assessment lowered since the actual benefit is not near what they said it would be. Put lip stick on a pig and it is still a pig.

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 22 2016,12:26 pm

My entire basement had 8-12 inches of raw sewage in it from a plugged sanitary sewer manhole in front of 1201 Virginia Pl. I contacted the city at 10:30 to let them know that the manhole I told them was full of solids and needed to be pumped weeks ago is now plugged and flowing out of the manhole cover into the street and also flowing into my basement from my floor drain..

What a bunch of stupid motherfokks running the City of Albert Lea..

There will be hell to pay for such incompetence..

Posted by was1 on Sep. 22 2016,1:12 pm

WOW!

That is totally unacceptable. And, since you previously notified them of the issue, there is no way they can hide behind "Act of God" to get out of compensating you for this.

Further shows how wrong the Engineer was on this project and how wrong the City leadership has been in this project, and their support for the engineer. He needs to go back to environmental permit work for pipelines, as he has shown again and again he is not cut out for municipal work.

Hope you get things cleaned up and the City steps up and 1) takes responsibility and compensates you, and 2) fixes the damn problem correctly, even though it will require digging up the new infrastructure.

Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 22 2016,1:33 pm

^^ WOW! That's terrible

Maybe they should forget the fancy maintience garage and start buying homes.

Posted by hymiebravo on Sep. 22 2016,1:55 pm

......

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 22 2016,3:35 pm

Contractor says it will cost approximately $10,000 to clean, sanitize and replace all the damage..

Posted by mrugly on Sep. 22 2016,7:49 pm

Bummer i also hope the city will compensate you some for this alcitizens.

Posted by mrugly on Sep. 22 2016,7:50 pm

Also how are your neighbors holding up?

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 23 2016,12:03 am

(mrugly @ Sep. 22 2016,7:50 pm)

QUOTE

Also how are your neighbors holding up?

I prefer to comment on the sewer backup at my house and not involve the others.. Property owners may not want any information released one way or the other..

As for my property:

The courts have made it clear that the city is liable for sewer back-up damages if, and only if, the city’s negligence causes damages. There are four basic questions the courts look at in deciding this issue. The city is liable if, and only if, the answer to all four is yes.

1. Was there a defect in the city’s sewer line? This might be a tree root, a foreign substance such as grease or a diaper that has found its way into the line, a sag or break in the line, bad design of the line, etc.

2. Did the city know, or should the city have known about the defect? For example, were there previous complaints or reports of problems, should the problems have been discovered during routine inspection or maintenance of lines, etc.

3. Did the city fail to correct the defect within a reasonable time after learning of it?

4. Did that failure by the city cause damages?

I have evidence that proves beyond any doubt that the answer to all 4 questions is yes.. The City of Albert Lea is liable..

Posted by was1 on Sep. 23 2016,9:44 am

Absolutely awful. I really hope the City steps up on this, but would not bet on it.

Further backing for you to use against the assessment for this project. Did you absolutely no good, no benefit to your property. What good does a new road and sidewalk do you when you have a basement full of the town's sewage?

I hope you are able to quickly get things at least cleaned and sanitized. And then, best of luck in dealing with the incompetence in City Hall.

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 25 2016,4:00 am

Water continues to rise at 3:30 AM on Virginia Pl without any rain..

Now we have flooding without rain??

Storm sewer lift station pumps must be turned off..

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 25 2016,8:08 am

The City reduced the amount of water being pumped from the Virginia Pl lift station that goes to Albert Lea Lake because of the high water levels of the lake.. At the same time they allow the Virginia Pl neighborhood to flood.. This is unacceptable..

I feel really bad for everyone experiencing any form of water damage during this time and hope their recovery goes smoothly..

Posted by hymiebravo on Sep. 26 2016,7:21 pm

It looked like it was darn near over the road on the north end where the proposed development is supposed to go.

And it also looked like train traffic was a no go through that area.

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 27 2016,9:53 am

This video shows that the sewer backup of raw sewage into my home was caused by a plugged manhole that I said was full of solids and needed to be pumped 3 weeks earlier.. Its obvious that it never got pumped out..

Warning: Video is Very Nasty

< View on YouTube >

Posted by was1 on Sep. 27 2016,12:37 pm

Terrible

Sounds like it is a pretty historic flooding situation, but that is no excuse for the City to not have checked on the manhole you previously reported as blocked.

I hope you are able to get your home all cleaned up, and that the City does something to get the road and area cleaned/sanitized somehow so no one gets sick. And then they better step up and pay for the damages and cleanup of this.

I wonder how the road will hold up after being flooded out like that. Really saturates the subgrade and can cause issues.

Good Luck.

Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 28 2016,6:06 pm

Video shows the damage done to my home and personal property because of negligence by the City of Albert Lea..

The City has been aware of a severe sag in the 80 year old sanitary sewer that has been known to backup into properties since at least 2002..

< View on YouTube >

Posted by was1 on Oct. 31 2016,3:57 pm

Any update? City ever take any responsibility for the sewer backup? Any word on future improvements to the storm left and outlet piping?

When is the final assessment hearing?

Posted by alcitizens on Nov. 02 2016,5:48 am

My homeowners insurance only covered $5,000 of the damages done to my home. There was an additional $4,370.49 in damages to the dwelling and the loss of personal property.

A claim for damages in the amount of $4,370.49 has been submitted to the city of Albert Lea..

Still waiting for payment..

Posted by was1 on Nov. 02 2016,7:46 am

That is horrible. Sadly, I'm pretty sure the City will use the "Act of God" out for paying any of it. Even though it was previously reported to them that there was a plugged sewer line.

Have they had the final assessment hearing? I sure hope you are able to get all your neighbors there to fight the assessments. No way you should have to pay much at all as all you really got was a new drive surface and new water mains. The new sewer they put in is useless and not correct and you should not be paying anything for it.

Ask for the results of the preconstruction house value study and the post construction house value study. Per state statue that is how assessments are to work. many communities do not do this, they just figure a per foot assessment rate and stick with it. I know back in the day Sparks, when challenged on this, would say "this is our long standing policy and it will hold up in court". Total BS.

Keep on fighting these idiots, especially the engineer who is clueless.

Posted by alcitizens on Nov. 17 2016,2:14 pm

My Claim for Damages to my property by the City has been Denied..

The City of Albert Lea has claimed an "Act of God" with my sewer backup.. I warned them over a year ago of a pending disaster and three weeks before it actually happened.. Does that mean I'm God? :notworthy:

I asked city engineer Steven Jahnke today if his offer to install a grinder pump septic system to avoid sewer backups into my property still stands since the city sewer backed up into my home in September.. He said the offer is no longer available and that it is now my responsibility to take precautions..

Trust me Mr. Jahnke, I am taking precautions beyond your wildest imagination..

Posted by Glad I Left on Nov. 17 2016,2:26 pm

I wish you well in your quest. Sounds like you and others in your neighborhood have been royally screwed over by total ineptitude!

Posted by Expatriate on Nov. 17 2016,2:49 pm

(alcitizens @ Nov. 17 2016,2:14 pm)

QUOTE

AL, both the Fleet Farm on E.Main and Bomgaars sell expandable drain plugs, cost is about 3 or 4 dollars...when you hear we're going to have more than couple inches of rain put the plug in your sewer drain, problem solved..just don't flush the toilet

when you're blocking the sewer backup..

measure the pipe at the base of your drain, probably 2.5" or 3"... stick the plug in pipe the crank down on the wingnut or nut depending on design...

A sump pump might be a good investment, even just one of the small continuous operating types that work with a garden hose for emergencies...

Installing a float activated sump pump setup would help your situation.. IMO..

Posted by hymiebravo on Nov. 17 2016,3:09 pm

QUOTE

put the plug in your sewer drain, problem solved..just don't flush the toilet

'

Yeah you don't want your Self Burnished(s) going where you don't want them.

Posted by Self-Banished on Nov. 17 2016,3:29 pm

(hymiebravo @ Nov. 17 2016,3:09 pm)

QUOTE

put the plug in your sewer drain, problem solved..just don't flush the toilet

'

Yeah you don't want your Self Burnished(s) going where you don't want them.

Wow, you're really obsessed with me, kinda creepy. I didn't even post anything and you start in. I figured you were having a good cry or playing with pladoh or Legos .

But I suppose that's okay, you're under a lot of stress lately.

Al, if you plug your drains like that anticipating a flood your toilet might end up being old faithful.

Posted by Expatriate on Nov. 17 2016,5:36 pm

Self Blemished quote:

QUOTE

Al, if you plug your drains like that anticipating a flood your toilet might end up being old faithful.

Just looked at AL's film, he does have a toilet in the basement and a shower, his problem is more complicated than a simple drain plug...he'll need a shutoff valve, gate valve type they're more reliable than check valves but you have to remember to close them.. kind of spendy if you can't do it yourself..but when you're talking thousands of dollars in damage and the headache that goes with it...what's spendy..

Posted by Self-Banished on Nov. 18 2016,4:07 am

^^ sounds reasonable :thumbsup:

But what I've followed through this whole debacle, the city calling it an act of God is bullsh!t.

Posted by was1 on Nov. 18 2016,10:21 am

1) so sorry to hear they denied your claim. Sadly it does not surprise me, as this is typical with all municipalities. The crazy thing is, they were warned a number of times of the concern of this happening, and did nothing.

2) their not correcting the known issue when they did the reconstruction project, and assessing you for the work, is total crap. If I were a lawyer I would represent you for free on this one just to get the city, and their "engineer" to admit they screwed up on this and take responsibility.

3) hope you are filing another complaint with the state engineering board on jahnke for this

4) you should not have to install double check valves, plugs, gate valves, etc. This is a newly reconstructed sanitary sewer system. It should have been designed properly in the first place. The original design, what 80 years ago, worked at that time. Now, due to changes in the storm sewer drainage areas, and other issues with the sanitary sewer, it does not. This is not the fault of the residents, nor their responsibility to correct. How long as your property been there, paying a sewage bill? Seems to me its not getting what it is paying for.

5) I hope there is an appeals process other than outright suing, but I doubt that will get you anywhere anyway.

6) Good luck to you

Posted by Expatriate on Nov. 18 2016,1:18 pm

^^Not to start a quarrel with you was1, But here in Albert lea we have 127 miles of sanitary sewer with about 7000 connections.. Many of these homes have clay tiles from the house to the street. even some of the sewer system itself consists of tiles.

When we see conditions such as 2008 and 2016 when the ground is already saturated from continual rain and we have a downpour like 2008 3" in a matter of hours or an overnight with 4" like 2016 the system becomes flooded mostly because of homeowner connections..

I'm not up on local codes but my guess replacement of the tile connections would be the homeowners responsibility. spendy project..

Looking at alcitizens property he's lower than fountain lake and you'd have to go uphill to get to Albert lea lake from his place. an investment in some kind of device to isolate his property from this type of situation is money well spent..

the problem is not going away any time soon..alcitizens wasn't the only one flooded, the city guys where out all night trying to stem the flooding..good job guys..

Posted by alcitizens on Nov. 18 2016,4:18 pm

I was up at 6am on September 22nd watching TV and getting ready for the day.. At 8:30am I went downstairs with a load of laundry only to find everything floating and tipping over.. Talk about pain and suffering..

State Law considers the lack of action for decades by the city of Albert Lea resulted in an unconstitutional taking of property.. I submitted a written objection to the city council at the final assessment hearing allowing me to appeal my assessment in district court.. I will be dropping off my appeal on Monday..

When it comes to the sewer backup, I will be filing a lawsuit also in district court against the city.. A manhole that sits full of sludge because of a severe sag in the main line going to the St John Ave and 6th lift station. On September 22nd there wasn't any sanitary sewage going to the lift station because the outlet at the Virginia Pl manhole with a sag and sludge was completely plugged.. All the I&I and sewage flowed into the homes on S Virginia Pl nonstop until a pump arrived at 11:30am..

The city of Albert Lea hasn't demonstrated any form of reasonable care in this area for 47 years and even to the point that a full reconstruction is nothing more than an incomplete reconstruction.. Its just a sad failure..

Picture shows sewage bubbling out of the floor drain.. Its amazing how a disaster like this can push a person to the edge of giving up on everything..

Posted by Self-Banished on Nov. 18 2016,6:59 pm

^^Go get 'em sir, best of luck!

Posted by was1 on Nov. 21 2016,9:05 am

Expat - I am fully aware of the type and condition of infrastructure in Albert Lea and elsewhere. I am willing to bet big that I have far more knowledge of infrastructure and how and were I&I comes from that you do.

I believe AL has fully laid out the whys of how the City is negligent in this instance.

Trust me, the City has many, many sanitary sewer issues with all their old clay lines and brick manholes. And all the manholes that still have open pick holes to directly let storm water into the sanitary system. Shoot, they even still have storm sewer that goes directly into the sanitary sewer. They even have gone as far as to put a gate valve in one of these locations to try and limit the sewage backup, but that doesn't always do it.

The issue here is the city did a project here, were told of the many concerns of the residents, even were given suggestions by the citizens of what to do differently to alleviate the problem they are having and want corrected. Yet, the City, specifically the Engineer, did not listen to them, nor do they care about their needs.

Instead, they did the project they felt was best and charged the residents for it. So on top of the assessment, and not fixing their actual problem, now AL is again flooded and out belongings, and $ on top of his assessment.

City started to try and address their sanitary sewer issues about 15 years ago with their sump pump program. Have they done anything since? Have they done any follow up inspections to ensure that everyone is still in compliance? I know of many who got sick of the sump water discharging out in their yard and redirected it back into the sanitary.

City needs to look at these flooding issues and specifically the sewage backup issues and make their correcting a priority for their infrastructure spending. There are many ways to fix leaking sewer mains as well as services that need to be explored and implemented system wide.

AL - best of luck, I hope the City makes this right sans you having to go though the court process.

Posted by Expatriate on Nov. 21 2016,9:27 am

I don't disagree with you was1, the city is prioritizing our resources the wrong way...we need to address the sanitary sewer system as a priority!

The Front Street relocation for lakefront property for a new City Hall/Fire-Station/Civic Center, new Airport Terminal and to a lessor degree the project on Commercial Street are all luxury items compared to homeowners being flooded out every-time we have major rain storm.

Posted by Self-Banished on Nov. 21 2016,3:13 pm

^^Firestation/City hall on lakefront property??

Posted by Expatriate on Nov. 21 2016,4:21 pm

^^^It was part of the city's grandiose scheme for the old Wilson/Farmstead site, they've since downsized the pipe dream because of resistance caused by this site.. IMO... doubt they've totally dropped their original desires...

the link is to their current plan,
< http://cityofalbertlea.org/wp-cont...eet.pdf >

Posted by Self-Banished on Nov. 21 2016,5:45 pm

^^oh yea, let's take up high tax revenue producing property with municipal occupation. :dunce:

Posted by was1 on Dec. 02 2016,7:58 am

Wasn't it about 15 years ago that Front Street through section was completely reconstructed with state funds? Guessing to relocate the road, city will have to pay that state aid $ back.

The city needs to stop with the pie in the sky dreams and get real. You are never going to be some big time destination or city. You are what you are, and you are darn lucky to have been able to diversify your economy over the years. If you hadn't, when Farmland burned the whole city would have just closed up.

Instead of spending $ on consultants to do studies and put together dreams for the farmland site, put that $ into your crumbling infrastructure that is affecting your current, and long time, residents and tax payers. REWARD them for a change instead of trying to entice some outsider to come in and do something.

What has happened to AL and the rest of the Virginia Place residents is shameful and really boarders on criminal. Put them through that inconvenience and assess them to not fix the real problem they have (flooding and sanitary sewer issues). Private sector would be firing people at all levels over something like that.

The councilors for those Wards should be out there daily apologizing to the residents and doing everything possible to get the storm sewer lift station and outlet corrected ASAP. And they should be in there TODAY fixing the sagged, new, sanitary main and manhole, [U]and[I] going further downstream in the sanitary sewer system to fix other issues that are contributing to the backups (as well as other upstream sources of I&I that are also causing the problem).

Engineering staff should be doing their JOBS! Come up with a feasible plan to make these corrections. And honestly, the City Manager, Mayor, and Councilors should be disciplining the City Engineer and his staff for their FAILURE to the residents on the project.

Until those running that City step up and decide to do what is right, do what they are paid to do, and do what they should (the engineering staff should look at the engineering oath), nothing will ever change, and the citizens with continue to get shafted, while the "leaders" continue to chase the "home run"

Posted by alcitizens on Dec. 03 2016,12:54 pm

was1 nailed it completely.. :thumbsup:

Its a fact that proper care was not taken to protect residents on Virginia Pl and the pain they have suffered for decades could have been avoided..

Even without potholes the pain still continues.. I'm not a religious person but GOD, what did we do that such malice towards us would be so necessary?

This is the NEW manhole that I feared would inflict pain on me.. Picture was taken on November 18, 2016.. The green pipe flows east to the sanitary sewer lift station at 6th St/ St John that should be lower than the three inlets from the west, north and south that are completely covered by sewage.

A doctor would be sued for malpractice...

Posted by alcitizens on Dec. 03 2016,1:18 pm

The NEW manhole should have inverts and look like this.....

Posted by alcitizens on Dec. 16 2016,11:54 pm

Council expresses support for bonding request :crazy:

< http://www.albertleatribune.com/2015...request >

And Blazing Star flooded less than a year later.. :crazy:

Sorry bunch of crooked fuknut bastards.. :deadhorse:

Posted by Expatriate on Dec. 17 2016,7:23 am

I specifically spoke to my incoming councilman about this grandiose needless project, he agreed we shouldn't be turning this into a government project..

My taxes increased by over 20% for 2017 when you start adding up all the mega bucks projects all these so called representatives have in mind our tax rate will be prohibitive as a retirement community or to attract new employers..

The link to the Tribune is dated, but I doubt the original plan is dead..They'll push for bonding again, we must push back by contacting our councilman and state representatives..

QUOTE

The city is requesting $3.5 million for moving Front Street north to make way for lakefront development and preliminary preparation work north of the railroad, included in the first phase of the project.

The development includes construction of a new city hall, ice arena and a community center that would include space for senior services and programs, meeting and activity rooms, a four-lane walking and running track, a fitness room with free weights and cardio, studio spaces, an aquatics area, an indoor play park, game room, four-court gymnasium, racquetball courts and childcare, among other amenities.

Posted by alcitizens on Jan. 06 2017,5:59 am

My claims were denied once by the city of Albert Lea and two times by FEMA for a sewer backup on September 22nd..

Today FEMA approved me for $3,714.00 for damages to my home and for the loss of my personal property..

This action by FEMA was truly an Act of God.. :notworthy:

Posted by alcitizens on Jan. 06 2017,10:49 am

(Expatriate @ Nov. 17 2016,2:49 pm)

QUOTE

when you're blocking the sewer backup..

Thank you Expat for the options.. I will be installing a backwater valve(sewer check valve) before spring arrives..

I have to say that I slept like a baby the night of the backup.. Rain storms have always done that to me.. A plug would have been worthless..

I know a few people at City Hall that I would love to shove an expandable drain plug right up their #%@&(*##!@.. :laugh:

To others:
Since I am involved in legal action against the city, I try to limit my statements.. Depression will also make a person withdrawn.

Then add Trump being elected as president and bam, you don't know if you should wait to be hanged or just do it yourself..

Posted by Expatriate on Jan. 06 2017,11:14 am

AL, I received a cell alert of flooding around midnight..that's about the time our local sewage system became overburden..
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Posted by was1 on Jan. 16 2017,10:29 am

AL- glad you finally got something. No one should have to worry about their home backing up with sewage, especially someone who just had to pay an assessment for their road, sewer and water being reconstructed.

I hope things work out in your claim/suit with the city and they finally do what they should have done years ago, corrected the flooding and sewer issue properly.

Posted by alcitizens on Feb. 28 2017,7:21 pm

Got an additional $1,200 from FEMA for damages which brought my total recovery of just shy of $10,000.. All my needs were met.. :thumbsup:

I now have a backwater/check valve installed on my sewer line to prevent any backup in the future..

FYI

Posted by Self-Banished on Mar. 01 2017,4:04 am

^^ I'm glad you had your needs met, seems a shame that you had to put up with such bullsh!t and ineptitude. You stood tough through the whole ordeal. :thumbsup:

Posted by was1 on Mar. 01 2017,12:06 pm

Glad to hear you recouped some of your costs. Unfortunately it will never come close to compensating you for all your time and the stress that such events cause.

From my own experience, even with your check valve now in place, you will still get a pit in your stomach every time it rains, for some time to come.

Only other thing that would be nice is if the City, and its professional staff, would admit to the issues that their shortsightedness caused in your situation.

Posted by was1 on Apr. 11 2017,7:54 am

AL - how did the road hold up through the first winter?

Any movement by the City on the other improvements downstream?

Posted by alcitizens on Apr. 11 2017,10:18 am

Street looks good.. Will get another 2 inches of asphalt this year.. The bad sewer line replacement will be put off for at least 15 years since 6th St was resurfaced last year..

The bad manhole is checked on a regular basis and also pumped..

And my property tax went up $1,000 this year..

Posted by was1 on May 18 2017,10:24 am

AL - how are things holding up with the rains? Are they still checking on that manhole?

Hope things are staying dry for you.