Closed, hole-dotted roads, heavy equipment parked in yards, and the smell -- the odor of open sewers -- residents around North Street are getting fed up with the months-long sewer repair project.
When work started in July, the expectation was that the worked would be completed by early September. It's now Nov. 1 and there's seemingly no end in sight.
WBTA's Geoff Redick spoke with Project Manager Mike Amadori of Tom Greenauer Development, who reportedly told Redick the company will "probably be facing litigation" over the delayed project.
The work is being done on North Street, Ross Street, Miller Avenue and Seneca Avenue.
"It's very annoying," Mary Beth Suozzi told WBTA News. She lives at 156 Ross St. "Every morning I take my son to school, and I don't know which way I'm going – and then when I come back, I'm blocked off," she said.
Sometimes, Suozzi's own driveway is obstructed by machines, preventing her from leaving for as much as a half-hour.
"The sewer smell is really bad," she continued, "...it permeates through the whole house."
She also noted that the loud noises often shake her house and that the Greenauer crews were "pretty rude" when they were on scene. (Currently, Greg Post General Services of Batavia is subcontracting, and Suozzi says that crew is more pleasant.)
There's apparently no official explanation for why the project is delayed.
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This project is WAY far from
This project is WAY far from over and I think the public deserves a explanation on this because it not only effects the immediate residents but traffic, transportation especially bussing from the middle school to the high school and also John Kennedy. They stopped or slowed down the project around the end of august and a little in september but do they not have all the man power needed to complete? Is it a issue with what they uncovered that has become a bigger project than expected? Whatever the case is it DOES effect a lot of people.
I thought the reason it's
I thought the reason it's behind is because at the beginning it flooded and they spent a week or two pumping it all out?
The problem isn't really how
The problem isn't really how long the work is taking. The problem is that the city put orange cones around a sink hole on North Street and ignored it beginning in February/March.
They didn't have a meeting until April, didn't vote on the thing until almost May and actually considered an option that would have left a GIANT HOLE in North Street there for an entire year until it was time for scheduled maintenance.
Meanwhile, tractor trailers are attempting to drive down Ellsworth Ave. if you don't live in the neighborhood or know the streets, you have no idea how funny that is...and maddening.
If the ball had been set in motion a month earlier, this wouldn't be an issue. What happens when the heavy snow starts to fall? Will the residents of North Street, Ross Street and Chandler Ave be shoveling the road so they can get out of their driveways? The plows certain aren't going to get in there. Thank god for that kid in the neighborhood who straps a plow on the front of his ATV...somebody's going to have to give him a medal this winter if they don't get this mess squared away.
Regardless, they need to be
Regardless, they need to be doing some weekend and evening work to get caught up with, period. I work in Contracting for the Federal Govt and that's what I do with my contractors. I don't believe I have seen any overtime or weekend work being put forth by the contractor or his subs. If he is facing litigation as they stated, I would be doing what I could to make sure that didn't happen. 2 months behind schedule, rude crews, overbearing smells are not things that city residents should have to be putting up with. Where is the city's project manager and how did they get this far behind schedule? Leaving a sinkhole is not acceptable and it is unsafe. If they are going to pave, they better do it soon. Asphalt companies are shutting down for winter if they have not already done so. Otherwise it won't be done till next spring.