Councilor Marks: McCormack Ave is Sinking

– Allison Goldsberry

A drainage pipe that runs beneath the street and backyards of McCormack Avenue will soon be scoured inch by inch with a camera searching for leaks, cracks, and blockage.

Residents think the pipe is the source of major flooding in the area during bad rain storms.

City Councilor Michael Marks said residents have had to deal with flooded basements and a “sinking street” for years and it’s time for the city to address the problem.

Marks said he met with Mayor Michael McGlynn and residents Tuesday afternoon to check out the area.

According to Marks, the Mayor said he would have a camera go into the pipe sometime in the next couple of weeks to see if leaks or blockage in the pipe are causing water to flood the area when it rains.

The mouth of the twenty-four inch pipe was recently cleared of debris by the city but residents say not a drop of water comes out of it when it rains, which leads Marks to believe the pipe is either blocked or leaking, causing the area to flood.

Marks said it’s easy to see the street is sinking. The city recently paved about fifty to sixty feet of the street after a resident complained about a nearly two foot drop between his driveway and the street, but Marks said more needs to be done to mitigate the erosion caused by all of the flooding.

“I think eventually something definitely needs to happen over there,” said Marks.

Marks said he spoke to the City Engineer about the problem as well. The Council supported a resolution sponsored by Marks requesting a report from the Engineer and the Mayor on what the camera reveals and how the city plans to address the problem.

McCormack Avenue is located near Carr Park in the Fulton Heights neighborhood.

City Settles for $4,000 with Resident Injured in Sidewalk Fall

Bradlee Road resident Diana Pettie will receive $4,000 in compensation after injuring herself in a fall on her street that she says was caused by broken cobblestones in August 2005. Pettie, 48, suffered bruising and abrasions to her head and substantial pain in her right shoulder, hand, and knee. Pettie was treated at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital immediately after the fall and received follow-up physical therapy treatment. Her medical bills exceeded $10,000. The city repaired the cobblestones in October 2005.