Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
To the Ithaca mayor Svante Myrick, and Public Works/Water and Sewer department,
We know that you are trying, but could you show us you care?
Since the last week of February 2015, many water service lines from the city main in the street have been freezing, completely shutting off the water supply to affected homes.
Four homes on our street (East York) lost water together in late February. All were thawed out by hard-working city crews a few days later. All four obeyed the rule “pencil thick” stream of water running out of a faucet 24/7. All four re-froze over ten days to three weeks ago. (Update: all thawed out 3/17). We know many others have never gotten their water back at all. We heard there were over fifty households affected.
We understand that the city is limited in its ability to thaw out this many frozen service lines. We understand that the crews on the ground are doing their best to help residents and that neighboring communities have been challenged as well, making it hard to get reinforcements of crews or equipment. We all try to be patient and get by with the help of wonderfully kind neighbors who still have running water. We also realize that not being able to shower or wash dishes is not a life or death emergency.
However, from our point of view, what's
missing is communication and more concern from our mayor, as well as
the officials in the Public Works/Water and Sewer department.
What we need:
- Better lines of communication:eg., collecting our emails, so we can receive regular updates including even a vague idea about how long till our lines are opened. We also need a point person to communicate our concerns with the city.
- Assessments of needs and offers of assistance, eg., bottled water.
- A plan for the future. For one of our neighbors this is the second year the service line to her house has frozen. We want to know what steps are going to be taken to prevent this from happening again.
It is one thing that city
infrastructure fails in the face of an unusually harsh winter, but
we, the citizens who have been or may be impacted by this in the future are feeling like the city has
left us out in the cold.
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Repair the water mainlines on Chad Road!
Updates
March 23, 2015
The momentum is undeniable now. Officials are finally starting to listen because of you.
Reached 100 supporters
March 23, 2015
20 Comments
At the very least, I think families without water deserve good communication and some kind of generous water rebate with a plan of what to do in the future!
Unacceptable by any measure of humanity, but especially with the property taxes we pay to live in Ithaca! Get on it in, Mr. Mayor, lead.
The City needs to look into why the pipes keep freezing. For me, it's the second year this has happened.
In January 2014 I was impressed by & grateful for the hard work of the DPW & the IPD in clearing ice jams along Cascadilla Creek and flooding elsewhere. This winter of 2015, I've followed the stories of neighbors and their frozen pipes and want to express sympathy for their grievances and hope these can be redressed. But also, if we are undergoing major climate shifts that mean greater & more prolonged cold in winters to come,, then more of us could be similarly affected.
This is an important infrastructure problem with public health implications, and fixing it should be made a high priority. In addition, Common Council needs to do something to address DPW's failure to communicate its actions and intentions with the public, which is a chronic and longstanding problem in the department.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
To the Ithaca mayor Svante Myrick, and Public Works/Water and Sewer department,
We know that you are trying, but could you show us you care?
Since the last week of February 2015, many water service lines from the city main in the street have been freezing, completely shutting off the water supply to affected homes.
Four homes on our street (East York) lost water together in late February. All were thawed out by hard-working city crews a few days later. All four obeyed the rule “pencil thick” stream of water running out of a faucet 24/7. All four re-froze over ten days to three weeks ago. (Update: all thawed out 3/17). We know many others have never gotten their water back at all. We heard there were over fifty households affected.
We understand that the city is limited in its ability to thaw out this many frozen service lines. We understand that the crews on the ground are doing their best to help residents and that neighboring communities have been challenged as well, making it hard to get reinforcements of crews or equipment. We all try to be patient and get by with the help of wonderfully kind neighbors who still have running water. We also realize that not being able to shower or wash dishes is not a life or death emergency.
However, from our point of view, what's
missing is communication and more concern from our mayor, as well as
the officials in the Public Works/Water and Sewer department.
What we need:
- Better lines of communication:eg., collecting our emails, so we can receive regular updates including even a vague idea about how long till our lines are opened. We also need a point person to communicate our concerns with the city.
- Assessments of needs and offers of assistance, eg., bottled water.
- A plan for the future. For one of our neighbors this is the second year the service line to her house has frozen. We want to know what steps are going to be taken to prevent this from happening again.
It is one thing that city
infrastructure fails in the face of an unusually harsh winter, but
we, the citizens who have been or may be impacted by this in the future are feeling like the city has
left us out in the cold.
Updates
March 23, 2015
The momentum is undeniable now. Officials are finally starting to listen because of you.
Reached 100 supporters
March 23, 2015
20 Comments
When my sewer line broke c. 14 years ago, the plumber called the city at 9:30 am and requested the water and sewer lines into the house be marked so the line could be fixed. He was told they would come in the afternoon. He called again at 2:45 pm and they told him they would come the next morning, Friday. That Friday was Good Friday and the DPW wasn't working, which he learned when they didn't show. He had to hire men to come in and dig up my lawn by hand. Angry? You bet. Expensive? Absolutely. When I complained to my alderperson (no longer on council) the response was "cie la vie."
At the very least, I think families without water deserve good communication and some kind of generous water rebate with a plan of what to do in the future!
Unacceptable by any measure of humanity, but especially with the property taxes we pay to live in Ithaca! Get on it in, Mr. Mayor, lead.
The City needs to look into why the pipes keep freezing. For me, it's the second year this has happened.
In January 2014 I was impressed by & grateful for the hard work of the DPW & the IPD in clearing ice jams along Cascadilla Creek and flooding elsewhere. This winter of 2015, I've followed the stories of neighbors and their frozen pipes and want to express sympathy for their grievances and hope these can be redressed. But also, if we are undergoing major climate shifts that mean greater & more prolonged cold in winters to come,, then more of us could be similarly affected.
This is an important infrastructure problem with public health implications, and fixing it should be made a high priority. In addition, Common Council needs to do something to address DPW's failure to communicate its actions and intentions with the public, which is a chronic and longstanding problem in the department.
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When my sewer line broke c. 14 years ago, the plumber called the city at 9:30 am and requested the water and sewer lines into the house be marked so the line could be fixed. He was told they would come in the afternoon. He called again at 2:45 pm and they told him they would come the next morning, Friday. That Friday was Good Friday and the DPW wasn't working, which he learned when they didn't show. He had to hire men to come in and dig up my lawn by hand. Angry? You bet. Expensive? Absolutely. When I complained to my alderperson (no longer on council) the response was "cie la vie."