Flood of questions and frustrations
Eric Clark
News Editor
The recent rain that ripped through Hillsboro this past weekend almost dampened several Hillsboro business owners spirits' about the renovation of the streets and sidewalks.
Tom Koslowsky, the owner of the Hillsboro True Value Hardware store, and Fred David, the owner of the Elcon Services Inc. store north of True Value, both were hit with flooding in the basements of their respective buildings.
"Sunday, at about five o'clock, I could see the water from the top of the stairs," Koslowsky said. "(The water) was five to six inches deep. I pumped for 4 1/2 hours that night. And several more on Monday."
The flooding that has occurred in Koslowsky's and David's buildings, has also been discovered in the old Sunflower Office Products building and the basement of Dale's Supermarket. All of the incidents are believed to have been caused by the brick outline that was recently used in the street renovation.
According to city officials, the sand underneath the bricks is the only barrier between the water and the soil. Because the sand has not yet sealed itself, the city said they believe the water problems originated where "down spouts hit the bricks," and seeped in.
Koslowsky said he doesn't store his merchandise in the basement rooms that were flooded and didn't lose anything of value, but he still wants a remedy to the problem.
"There's a real lack of concern," Koslowsky said. "They (the city) aren't coming up with any solid solutions. I voiced this concern before the project. I've never seen water down there before. I think the brick looks nice, but it's fairly impractical."
David said he noticed dampness in his basement after Koslowsky told him about his water problems.
"I couldn't believe it," David said. "We definitely have a problem. I'd hate to see them settle up with the final bill."
City engineer Bob Previtera told the city that they will deal with the problem and add it to the items that need to be corrected in the final walk through.
