Dear Eleanore Turkington:
I am writing to you out of sheer desperation. There are sections of Richmond Avenue that have been torn up by a private contractor working on the gas lines. The manhole apron near 175 Richmond Ave. is totally obliterated. A plow if going to catch that cover and it’s going to come off and hit someone in the head. The streets have been torn up and patched and torn up again and patched again. They are a war zone complete with the potholes on Chestnut Street, large bumps in the roads and on all of these streets there are seams, like large crevasses that are literally opening down the middle of the street.
I also picked up a sharp rock in one tire the first week of construction and a piece of metal in another tire the second week of construction near the corner of Richmond and Bassett Streets. It really is bad. The ghettos of New Haven have better streets than we do and we pay between 6-8 thousand dollars a year in taxes.
This is ridiculous. Not to mention the contractors start their machines at around 7 a.m., so if I had the day off and wanted to sleep in, it ain’t going to happen.
Can we please have the city’s blight office and Public Health Office look into these matters? If the storm/sewer drain covers are comprised that could release harmful methane into the neighborhood and be very costly to repair, along with other health issues of inhalation, asthma and breathing attacks.
This used to be a good neighborhood, but now the barking dogs on Kelsey Avenue at all hours of the day, barking from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., speeding traffic going through the stop signs near West Haven High School and very loud modified muffler Hondo Civics have really made it clear to us it’s time to move out.
The Veteran Advocate
Dear Veteran Advocate:
I referred your gripe to West Haven’s Complaint Officer, Francis Withington who responded to your complaints with, “In reference to the repeated excavations, that complaint would go to Bob Turley, manager of construction. However, I can tell you this, all the mains in the streets needs to be run first, then after they are energized. Then, SCG (Southern Connecticut Gas Company) has to dig up each individual service and tie them onto the new main. Then, after all of the houses have been flipped on to the new mains, we can excavate to abandon the old mains and then permanently restore the roadways. It is time consuming, but must be done this way to ensure no outages and safe updated facilities.”
Gripe Vine Readers:
This information just arrived from Francis Withington, West Haven’s Complaint Officer, “The paving will be done in a few weeks at Main on Richmond and Bassett.”
Gripe Vine Readers:
Veterans Day we remember and honor servicemen and women in all wars and conflicts. We respect and honor your service to our country. On a personal note, our grandson is a Captain in the United States Army and our great grandson is a medical corpsman in the United States Navy. It is an honor to remember these brave men and women who have and now, proudly serve our country.
Your gripes, comments and suggestions to gripevine4wh@aol.com or mail to Gripe Vine c/o The West Haven Voice, 666 Savin Ave. Include your name, address and phone number, kept in strict confidence with me. You can fill out the coupon near my column and use an extra sheet of paper if necessary.
Coming up: Colonial Avenue Stench…more on Colonial Park…school buses blocking driveways… sidewalk repair on LakeView Avenue…mayoral debates…Lake Street pedestrian walk..Campbell Avenue, Route 1 traffic light complaint..UI multiple charges…speeding on New Street..cars driving wrong way on Park Avenue. and Washington Streets..dead end sign requested at Atwood…1st Avenue historic house?…potholes on North Forest Circle and much more.