Brian - Commissioner of DPW assigned this issue to Steve - Highway Foreman

The condition of the "road verge" or "tree belt" or "curb strip" remains unchanged from when I reported it three months ago. It is still a hazard to pedestrians walking on the odd-numbered side of Emery Street and especially dangerous to infants when they are being transported in strollers.

The hole by the sidewalk is the same as it was when I reported it five months ago. Although 27 Emery Street it not my house, I sometimes take a pass in front of it with my snow thrower when I'm feeling neighborly. Until the snow bank builds up there, there's always a risk that I, or my machine, will fall in. How 'bout fixing this before the coming election or at least before the snow flies.

The sinkhole by the sidewalk continues to be a hazard to passers-by and property. I took a pass with my snow thrower on the sidewalk across the street after the storm of 7-Jan. Like I predicted on 19-Oct, as I neared this sinkhole, the wheel of my machine slid off the sidewalk and into the hole. I sustained no injury and no damage to my machine is apparent yet. The next guy who falls into this hole may not be as lucky.

I don't understand why filling this hole is such a challenge for the city. There was a tree in that location perhaps twenty years ago. I'd guess when it was removed the stump was ground to the level of the curb and sidewalk and, as the stump decomposed, the ground level sank. Would it really be difficult to dump a few cubic feet of soil there?

Nine months after my initial report, this risk to life and limb remains. On Monday, I ran my snow thrower up the sidewalk on that side of the street (I live on the other side) and remembered to steer clear of the hazard. Pedestrians unfamiliar with the terrain will not be so cautious and some will surely fall in.

This problem could easily be fixed with a few cubic feet of topsoil. I understand that the folks who would take care of it are probably the same ones who are overloaded with potholes at the moment. But seriously ... in the ten months since it was originally reported, there wasn't a slack period?

Next month we can have a birthday party for this complaint.

This coming Saturday is the one-year anniversary of me reporting this defect. By now, the crater has filled in a little - road sand, decomposing leaves, litter dropped by passers-by, dog droppings, ... - perhaps in another few years, it will have filled in by itself. Until then, let's leave the issue Open.

I wonder what the record is for the longest outstanding complaint.

I haven't walked by this curbside pit in a while, so until now I haven't been able to confirm that the problem persists. This morning I saw a car back out of the driveway, and as the driver turned in order to head up the street his front wheel fell into the hole, making an audible "clunk." This was a big SUV - a Jeep perhaps - with large wheels/tires and generous ground clearance. A more modest-sized vehicle might well have sustained damage as a result of the city's negligence.

I conclude that 481 days after I reported it, the problem remains. And it remains a hazard for pedestrians, for children in strollers, for people operating snow-removal equipment and for citizens driving into and out of their residences or endeavoring to park on Emery Street.

I'd like to close this issue and I will when some progress is made, but for now, it should be left open.

As I said a year ago:

"The hole by the sidewalk is the same as it was when I reported it five [now seventeen] months ago. Although 27 Emery Street it not my house, I sometimes take a pass in front of it with my snow thrower when I'm feeling neighborly. Until the snow bank builds up there, there's always a risk that I, or my machine, will fall in. How 'bout fixing this ... before the snow flies."

Even MassDOT can manage to open an extension to the Green Line given decades and billions. Surely after 571 days, the Medford DPW could have filled a modest-sized but dangerous depression in the "road verge" or "tree belt" or "curb strip" or whatever we call it here.

The DPW has closed out this ticket and placed the sidewalk repair request in queue for evaluation and correct processing. Thank you for your patience. The DPW receives sidewalk requests city-wide, and when they are closed out here, they have been moved to a master processing point for evaluation, and assignment. They may be addressed in-house, through a contract, or in coordination with other work, such as stump removal. Thank you again!