TULSA, Okla. — One Midtown family said the ground began to give way where the city sidewalk met their driveway. The sinkhole situation continually got worse over 2 years, even as they said they asked the city for help. When they didn't get it, they called the Problem Solvers.
Many of the homes in their historic neighborhood were built 100 years ago, some in the Roaring 20s.
Their dilemma started a couple of years ago when Cindy Solomon’s grown son stepped off the driveway, and one leg sank into the ground past his thigh.
“He was shocked, and it really banged up his knee. He’s fortunate he didn’t get hurt any more than that,” Solomon said.
Since it involved a public sidewalk, Cindy said she called the city about it several times.
“To their credit, the city did come out and they shoveled some dirt, there were holes on the side of our driveway, and they shoveled dirt those holes.”
The Solomons were told by the city that old, private sewer lines from the past caused this sinkhole where their driveway meets the city sidewalk.
As for a several thousand-dollar, long-term fix, Solomon said she was told that it was between them and a nearby homeowner whose old sewer line was leaking since it wasn’t connected properly to the city’s sewer line.
“The age of these homes, there were no regulations at the time these houses were built, so I think people just connected the way they saw fit back then,” Solomon said.
Over the last two years, Solomon said the sinkhole gradually got worse.
Then, it collapsed completely in the middle of February when a tree company drove into their driveway to trim some trees.
“It’s huge, it’s a crater,” Cindy told the Problem Solvers. “We have cars come by and stare, it looks like a bomb went off. It’s just a hot mess.”
She contacted the city again, which sent workers to install orange fencing around the sinkhole to warn people about it and keep them away from it.
But still, she said her family would have to work with the neighbor to take care of the sinkhole.
“My contention is the city sidewalk would be the city’s responsibility, and in fixing the sidewalk, they would have to fill in that sinkhole.”
After the Problem Solvers listened to her story, we immediately contacted the city. That very same day, Solomon said a city representative contacted her.
“We’ve actually had some pretty good feedback from the city.”
She said she was told the city would work with that other homeowner to complete the repair.
“Ultimately, if they could not recover from the property owner, the city will fill the sinkhole, and do the concrete work themselves.”
Solomon just hopes the sinkhole is repaired sooner rather than later and done correctly so their historic neighborhood is preserved and the history of that sinkhole doesn’t repeat itself.
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