08-23-1999 CC - Laserfiche WebLink

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View. She stated he does not have a general contractors license from the State Department of Commerce. She stated he did not apply for a digging permit. She stated that when he made the repair, City staff was present,however, did not inquire if he had obtained a permit. She stated that she had trusted City employees to send people who were reliable and responsible to do the repair. She stated, in retrospect, Kay's Mechanical indicated the entire line was bad and needed to be replaced, and that he had told her this at the time of the repair. She stated he did not. She stated if this had been and ethical contractor,the entire process could have been resolved originally,rather than resulting in the controversial situation they find themselves in at present. Mrs. Vigen stated another issue that has arisen in her mind, is the attitude towards solving this situation. She stated it does not appear to her that any long-term solution is being sought. She stated these homes were approximately 25 years old, and were only going to get older. She stated that she had wondered if the plan was to get rid of all the houses on that street. She stated hers was not the first repair, and as closely as she can ascertain, it was probably the twelfth on that block. She inquired how many more there would to be, and what the City would do about this situation. Mrs. Vigen stated that apparently,there is word out among plumbers in the Metropolitan area,that Mounds View was not the place to come and do work,that there is soil incompatibility with the type of tubing that is used,which leads to a breakdown of the pipes, and work can not be guaranteed or warranted. She stated there was also a high water table in Mounds View. She stated she was unable to obtain a private bid from any of the contractors she has contacted, and apparently the Director of Public Works Ulrich was having difficulty obtaining bids from contractors who are familiar with the area. Mayor Coughlin inquired what Mrs. Vigen would request of the City. Mrs. Vigen stated she was requesting that she not be held liable for this repair. She stated the Director of Public Works Ulrich had obtained two bids, one for $3,500, with a couple thousand dollars thrown in for water removal,and the other bid was$9,700. She suggested that there be some effort to consider this situation in the long term. She suggested that the City crew do this work, which would save the homeowners the dilemma and frustration of facing this situation. She stated this would provide that materials could be tested and tried to work with the soil conditions, the repairs would all be consistent and completed in a timely fashion. She explained that the water was currently running down the street. She stated, in the winter, that water rapidly turned to ice, and sanding crews had to be out, and it created a rather treacherous situation. Mayor Coughlin requested Director of Public Works Ulrich provide his input in this regard. Director of Public Works Ulrich stated he had become involved in this matter after the Public Works foreman had spoken with Mrs. Vigen regarding the leak that had surfaced. He stated he had spoken with her on the telephone and explained the City ordinance,whereby the homeowner is responsible for repairs from the water main to the house. He stated he had also explained why this provision had been established, and that the ordinance had been revised to require the City be responsible for the repair of any impervious surface. He stated Mrs.Vigen explained that she did not have any money for this repair. 10 C:\ADMIN\MINUTES\CC\8-9-99.CC