tadr said:With respect to the ditch, you should immediately call the subcontractor and demand that they erect safety fencing,

It's sad that we live in a day and age where people don't understand that they shouldn't hang around large holes in the ground. Back in the day we called this "natural selection".

jcbrooks said:tadr said:With respect to the ditch, you should immediately call the subcontractor and demand that they erect safety fencing,

It's sad that we live in a day and age where people don't understand that they shouldn't hang around large holes in the ground. Back in the day we called this "natural selection".
Does this "natural selection" also apply to small children? They should put up safety fencing for the safety and benefit of everyone.

Call the city engineering or sewer department and ask to speak to someone who is in charge of the project. Ask them what the restoration will be. Odds are they plan to replace in kind. If not, whine a little - remember the squeaky wheel gets greased.

Also tell the City that the trench should have a safety fence around it.

No worker should be in that trench without a trench box to protect them. If they are not using a trench box, tell the City and/or OSHA.

trench box

GordonGekko said:My city uses wireless sewer lines so we don't have this problem.

Is that the 80-Poo.11 system I have heard so much about?

Rambler said:Call the city engineering or sewer department and ask to speak to someone who is in charge of the project. Ask them what the restoration will be. Odds are they plan to replace in kind. If not, whine a little - remember the squeaky wheel gets greased.

Also tell the City that the trench should have a safety fence around it.

No worker should be in that trench without a trench box to protect them. If they are not using a trench box, tell the City and/or OSHA.

trench box

What do you care about? A long list of possible complaints and trying to get something or do you want them out of you hair as quickly as possible and things back as they were as close as possible?

The city isn't going to care about any potential harm that's over by the time they've investigated, so if it's just a few days, it might be most expidient to just let them do their thing. Then if they haven't restored things as you expect, complain about what was left undone. If it's going to last weeks, then maybe the safety measures are called for. It would be sad if a 2-3 day hole is delayed by days waiting for some safety equipment to be installed and it stays in place longer than previously necessary, and some more time before it's taken down after the work is done. It's only been a couple of days, right? Ask the people working about their schedule and expected completion and see if you can live with it.

Going to OSHA with pictures is pulling out the big guns in case they're taking too long or causing too much danger. Risk is one thing, but presumably you can take steps to protect yourself and family. Unless someone is seriously hurt, any compensation is negligible and whatever compensation they ultimately provide is not likely to be worth whatever disfigurement and disability involved.

ok I don't get the whole point of this post- so was the contractor operating in the easement or not? So they trimmed your bushes (maybe aggressively?) and dug a hole? Unless you fall in the hole its not hurting you, and its not like they killed off some 100 year old oak tree. I've got an easement running in the back of my house and I've got some crap planted there- if the city has to work back there I'm just SOL and I know it.

dstoneburg said:This is how they looked prior to being 'trimmed' by the contractors. These are the ones on the other side of my yard.


Arborvitaes

Dude you can buy thes in buckets for $10 in the home centers.Don't BELIEVE that BS about Arborvitaes growing slowly, we bought a bunch of 'Puny' little things and in less than 10 years they are MONSTERS!

There is a difference between having an easement on your property or just taking over the city property and using it as your own. It's unclear to me if you really have title to this property. I suspect the reason you were never notified is that you really don't have title to the property.

HumDoHamaraDo said:We the People want our sewer systems fixed without any noise, dirt, digging, harming trees, and ideally while we are on vacation so by the time we get back we are not inconvenienced. And yes, can't these guys wear better looking clothes, they are really ruining the ambience.

If that little pipe ("more pics" link) is what they are replacing there are simpler solutions than that. You could rod out the pipe and a pipe liner can be inserted from one length to the other. The liner hardens and becomes the new wall of the pipe.

There are always alternative solutions available to cities but many are not adopted due to political issues or the simple fact that "doing things the old way" ensures you don't rock the boat and there won't be cause for getting fired/blamed for problems.

do178b said:dstoneburg said:do178b said:There is a difference between having an easement on your property or just taking over the city property and using it as your own. It's unclear to me if you really have title to this property. I suspect the reason you were never notified is that you really don't have title to the property.

If you read the OP you would know that I purchased the property in april.

Do you really know where the property lines are? Most people do not. Unless you get a survey done you really don't know where they are. Don't depend on what the neighboors say. There is one case in town here were 6 properties lost 1/3 of their yard because they was really on city property (a park).

Yes.