Wilkinsburg residents frustrated by massive hole left behind from home demolition
People in a Wilkinsburg neighborhood say they need someone to come and solve a smelly and ugly problem soon.
A recent home demolition left a deep hole, creating a safety and sanitary issue.
The problem is that the hole is filled with stagnant water, raw sewage and debris. It's been here for a couple of months, and people living in this Wilkinsburg neighborhood along Ross Avenue want to know why it hasn't been filled in.
"It's sewage. You can smell it and you can see it. And you can see where some of the cones they had fell into the hole," resident Keith Jones said.
Neighbors say the whole thing became an issue about eight weeks ago when a nearby home was demolished.
"They knocked all of [the house] down, put half of the dirt in the truck, and left," resident Lynda Scott added.
Since then, the hole turned into a deep puddle and an open sewage pit.
"I felt like the devil himself came out of that hole. Nothing good is going to come from this," Scott said.
Scott lives across the street from the mess, and Jones lives next door.
"And we have kids in this neighborhood. Plenty of kids," Jones said.
"I don't even like standing this close. We don't know what we're breathing in," Scott said.
Scott says she's voiced her concerns to a bunch of people and agencies.
"Every time I talked to someone, it was, 'Oh, it's the borough. Oh, it's the city.' I don't care if you put concrete there. Just fill it."
Wilkinsburg code enforcement says they were supposed to and have capped the sewage line. Now, they're waiting for the Allegheny County Health Department's plumbing division to inspect it, and then they can fill it back in, and the problem will be solved.
The big question is: when is that going to happen?
Allegheny County officials told KDKA-TV that they are aware of the issue and understand residents' frustrations, and they will be addressing the problem.
Scott, meanwhile, says she hopes it's sooner rather than later.
"I will keep complaining. That's all I know to do," Scott said.
