Work batters home, man says

Tag : fiber glass pipe
Work batters home, man says
Sewer project's vibrations blamed for cracking, bump
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008
For several days earlier this year, construction crews pounded awayat the earth in West Akron as they dug 50 feet deep to fix an agingcity sewer pipe.
The pounding shook the neighborhood around North Hawkins Avenue andGarman Road so much, homeowner Dwight Green Sr. said, that itdamaged his three-bedroom colonial with a distinctive, largewraparound porch.
The vibrations created a small hump in a second-floor hallway andhairline cracks in some walls and on the concrete basement floor,he said.
Now, no one wants to take financial responsibility for the damage,he said.
''I want my house fixed. It wasn't like this,'' said Green, 47, whoshares the home with his wife, Lisa, and two sons. ''I want it likethe way it was when I bought it. I can't get it exactly that way,but it wasn't like this before.''
The Greens bought the 1907 home three years ago

when they moved from Long Beach, N.Y., to Akron.
In April, Kenmore Construction began the $3.8 million city project,which involved adding a fiberglass liner to a decades-old bricksewer pipe underneath North Hawkins. The liner is expected to add75 to 100 years to the life of the pipe.
Green, who retired because of a disability from the MetropolitanTransportation Authority in New York, said he's tried to handle hiscomplaints the right way, going through official channels. But hesaid he's only gotten the runaround.
Views of insurers
He was told to file a claim against Kenmore Construction. So hedid. The contractor's insurance company, Cincinnati Insurance Cos.,rejected the claim, telling him in a letter last month that ''theareas of damage you indicated were not a result of any work done byKenmore Construction.''
Instead, it's ''possible that settlement, high winds ordeterioration are more likely the causes of minor cracking,'' theletter said.
That's laughable because the hump — which he calls a''mini-Mount St. Helens'' and is hidden under carpeting — andcracks weren't there before the construction, Green said.
Then he was told to file a claim with his insurance company. So hedid. State Farm rejected his claim, telling him in a letter thismonth that his policy doesn't cover damage caused by vibration.

Now he's been told to file a four-page claim against the city. Sofar, he hasn't, saying he's annoyed it has come to that.
''If I did some damage to a city building, can I, too, tell thecity, 'Well, fill out these forms. I want you to fax it to thisnumber and send me triple copies and verify that you signed itbefore I help you?' '' he asked.
James Weber, construction manager for the city, said he was unawareof Green's complaint. The city has not received any claims due tovibration damage from the surrounding neighborhood, he said, andmany properties are closer to the construction zone than Green's.
''If he feels he's been wronged by the city, he should file a claimwith the city,'' Weber said.
Kenmore Construction could not be reached for comment.
Odor complaints
The project also triggered some odor complaints from residentsalong the route of the sewer line that stretches from North Hawkinsdown into the Merriman Valley.
The odor was described as a ''sickening stench'' by Phil and LindaMarcin of Karen Drive. Residents tried to keep their houses shut upand couldn't use fans or air conditioners because of the foulsmells that persisted for two months, they said.
The odors were worse at night and triggered headaches and nausea insome residents, the Marcins said in an e-mail.
Akron was aware of the odor issue but that work has been completed,city spokesman Mark Williamson said last week.
A nontoxic epoxy resin was used to coat the sewer line and producedthe odors along the sewer line route, he said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com . Staff writer Bob Downing contributed to this report.