FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — At a town hall meeting Wednesday night, homeowners in Fairview Park voiced their frustrations over repeated flooding.
"I would rather have water in the street flooding my front yard than in my basement," one resident said.
Mayor Patrick Cooney led the meeting, and first explained the sewer system, current maintenance on it, and what leads to the flooding, pointing to an overwhelmed system and debris in the lines. He says the city has been working to clean and clear those lines, and added restrictors to catch basins to slow the flow into the storm sewer system.
"I also understand the frustration that many of you have with this issue, the damage that has occurred to your homes, the time and cost to clean up and fix up your homes, and the property that's been lost," Cooney told residents.
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The city shared suggestions to help prevent flooding, such as the free home flooding assistance program — where the city engineer and public safety director visit individual homes to assess the problem — or home investment options like residents paying for their own dye testing.
Cooney cited new projects that will help, like a $3.5 million sewer improvement on Woodstock Avenue from congressional funds.
Still, in the short term, citizens remain unhappy.
"I can't have my kids down in my basement because there's raw sewage," Dean Pearsall said. "I've had a sump pump put in, my house waterproofed. My backyard turns into a pond because we have to splash off."
Residents said they think the city should take more action, questioning the use of restrictors instead of sandbags. Additionally, they are concerned about their property values and issues they'll encounter if they try to sell.
"At the end of the day, you need a bunch of workers to go down there and fix the sanitary sewer," Robert Pless told 3News. "When it rains, I don't care if its six-foot of water. It should not come up. Somebody else's fecal matter shouldn't be in your house."