Comments on: Backups: Lawyers, Sewers, Pumps

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:31:52 +0000

The beleagured (flooded) citizenry need ask itself how the city was able to reduce the available pipe flow so dramatically with their work in West Park causing a huge amount of damaging backup, with no financial relief to the impacted citizenry. From this example- learn how to proceed or not proceed.

To summarize : If someone shows you who they really are – believe them.(Maya Angelou)

By: Jack Eaton

Jack Eaton — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 17:40:44 +0000

The survey results summary is also posted on the City's SSWWE page, under the Library link on the left side of the page. [link] It is listed under the heading "Project Materials" and titled "Homeowner FDD Survey Summary Report (PDF)"

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 15:36:58 +0000

Re (30) please note that this is not the City’s website, but the A2Docs repository on which individuals may deposit documents related to local governance. It is maintained by volunteers.

By: Frank Burdick

Frank Burdick — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 12:39:52 +0000

I encourage all readers to visit the City's website to read the comment section of the survey. [link] Start with the comments, then read the pie charts... you will likely reach a different conclusion than the pie charts display. I am a citizen volunteer on the SSWWE CAC that sponsored this survey. I am opposed to the FDD program as it is currently designed and implemented. Read the comments...and you will learn why!

By: John Dory

John Dory — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 18:23:38 +0000

My daughter’s house is in the FDD program. It has been a nightmare.

She has MS and is on fixed income, so it is a substantial burden on her. Additionally, water issues not only remain – they have been exacerbated.

My opinion is that the FDD program is a disaster – and given the quotes I see in your article it is on shaky legal ground.

The reason that Ann Arbor is one of the few jurisdictions in America who has ever even considered such a bizarre set-up is that the Hieftje administration failed to authorize and perform the needed upgradings, refurbishing, and ongoing intensive maintenance that was required to service the underground water distribution system.

The city government’s failure to take appropriate action resulted in an attempt to foist this FDD program which shifted much of the burden to the innocent citizen. The millions the city saved due to the FDD program resulted in the municipal leadership issuing profuse self-congratulations that, unlike other cities in Michigan, Ann Arbor was financially solvent.

By: Chuck Warpehoski

Chuck Warpehoski — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 16:55:02 +0000

re: #25 My understanding is that the data collection has completed and the engineering firm is in the process of reviewing the data. While data collection in the sanitary sewer system is dirty work, I’m told that the engineers are happy with how clean the data are.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 15:58:05 +0000

The commentary from the FDD survey has now been posted by Ed Vielmetti on a2docs, as has a draft report from OHM. http://a2docs.org/doc/345/

By: Eric Boyd

Eric Boyd — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:23:40 +0000

@22. Dave, thanks for the points. That added a lot of clarity (at least for me).

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:09:48 +0000

@22: I wonder how many years of data need to be collected before we’re able to draw any reasonable conclusions about success. Any idea?

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:02:36 +0000

@18: That was helpful, Dave. It makes sense that the legal contention would revolve around loss of use since the pre- and post-installation incident reporting is both anecdotal and impossible to attribute one way or the other to the FDD program due to unrelated factors like weather and tree root growth, among others. That is, determining the cause(s) of any basement flooding incident was and is a guessing game. The “Summary” from the draft survey results that Jack quotes in #17 is stretching the definition of “appears”. All of which raises the question: is there any value at all to those questions about pre- and post-FDD backups?