Ross Plans Lawsuit Against West View Water for Road Repair Costs

Saying it’s been an ongoing problem for quite a while, voted unanimously Monday to initiate a lawsuit against to recover the costs of repairing roads damaged by water main breaks. 

“We repaired a sinkhole on Lincoln (Avenue) last week because for four weeks they left it untended and it's a safety issue,” said Commission Chairman Grant Montgomery. “We are incurring all the expense by the damage caused by the water and looking for a means of getting that money back." 

Commissioner Peter Ferraro said there had been three water main breaks in just six weeks on Buehner Drive and that Cardiff Road has been a “disaster” for six months. 

We're looking at about $50,000 in expenditures to date for those roads and West View Water is not reciprocating,” he said. “We’re trying to get their attention more than anything else. I don’t think we’re the only municipality with this problem.” 

Commissioner John Sponcer said the repairs West View Water does make are substandard. 

"That's always the issue, they leave a 2-by-2 or 2-by-4 patch, but the residual damage behind it or in front of it, they don't want to fix. First avenue, there was a sinkhole probably a foot and a half deep and they could have cared less about it. We tried to meeting with them, but nothing,” he said. “The only way to get their attention is to file a lawsuit.” 

Solicitor Bonnie Brimmeier is expected to file the suit within the next couple of weeks. 

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In other action, the commissioners voted 8-0 to hire the Cohen Law Group to perform a comprehensive franchise fee review of its two cable operators, Comcast and Verizon. The cost of the audit is not expected to exceed $8,000.

The commissioners also unanimously approved the transfer of a liquor license to the restaurant at 7795 McKnight Road. 

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