CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Some neighbors on Boston Avenue in Chesapeake are frustrated with a drainage ditch they say causes flooding, bad smells, and bugs.
Chesapeake neighbor Ryan Ansell reached out to News 3 with concerns about the drainage ditch in his and other neighbors front yards. Ansell and his neighbors said the ditch gets flooded whenever it rains. He said when the ditch is full of standing water, it causes a bad smell, bugs, and a potential safety hazard for kids and pets in the neighborhood.
"The problem is that the ditches are not being kept up. They’re not being cleaned. And I reached out to the city several times. I want them to come out here and get all these leaves out of my ditch, and all down here. And that’s what’s clogging up the water. And this tree right here is the main problem," Ansell said.
Ansell said he has called the city three or four times, adding that when crews do come out, they are only there for a minute.
"They tell me they’ll be out here in the next 10 business days, or five business days, and they don’t show up. It took them probably two or three years to come and clean these, get this tree tore down," Ansell said.
Chesapeake News Reporter Erin Holly reached out to the city to get answers for Ansell and his neighbors. Elizabeth Vaughn, EPIO Deputy Director for the Public Communications Department, said addressing issues like this takes time.
"Our crews have been actively working through drainage-related service requests for Boston Ave off and on over the past several years. Removing blockages, cleaning debris, flushing pipes, etc. It’s important to note that our goal is to address roadside ditch concerns within 45 days," Vaughn said.
Vaughn noted that crews dispatched earlier this month found a tree blocking the flow line. She said the Public Works Contractual Services division is coordinating with a contractor to remove the tree.
"It’s possible that the resident was informed that an investigation of the ditch line would be done within 14 days of the customer service request, but solutions to roadside ditch issues often take longer than 14 days to solve, following the initial investigation," Vaughn said.
Vaughn added that large trees near the ditch line on this road have caused drainage issues in the past and likely will again.
"I feel like we’re being ignored in a way. And I’m tired of calling, so I got channel three involved," Ansell said.
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