CDA: Work puts clamps on family

Our home is across the street from a sewer project near Fernan Lake. We have watched with some dismay as Fernan Lake Road was torn up and traffic was diverted to our street. Now, as expected, our short street is being torn up for the new sewer laterals for the homes on the other side of the street. We have had some preliminary construction work on this street while the work was done on Fernan Lake Drive. We have been expecting this, so what is the problem?

We had a knock on our front door at 7:05 a.m. Friday by a worker explaining if we wanted to get out of our driveway we would have to move our car down the street now. It had been decided the previous day at the close of their workday that they would cut the street for the new laterals for six homes so paving could be done Monday. We were not given any notice the evening before.

We had plumbers coming Friday afternoon (and places to be) and we didn’t know if they will be able to get in. What if we had been expecting out of town guests like the neighbors across the street? The parents of the school age children on our block have had to make plans at the last minute to drive their children to school because the bus couldn’t come down their regular route on this street and no alternative plans were made with the school district. I was able to move our automobile down the street but my handicapped husband wouldn’t be able to walk to it easily.

An inspector has told us that 48 hours are required for this type of street closure. My complaint: The city had apparently allowed a contract to be signed for MDM to do this work and there are NO PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES. The city has been terribly negligent to not have standard penalties in place. MDM has displayed pure arrogance to the residents and to the city.

MARCELLA LAYTON

Coeur d’Alene