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Large hole still not repaired, neighborhood fears utility companies are pointing fingers
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DENHAM SPRINGS - There's a lot of trouble over a hole in Livingston Parish that no one can seem to get fixed.
Damon Hebert moved into the Audubon Lakes neighborhood last November. The hole has opened up the sidewalk in front of his home. He tells 2 On Your Side it was an issue before he moved in but had been told it was fixed.
"Everybody told me when I first moved in that all this had been done, it was repaired. But I started noticing under the sidewalk erosion going on," Hebert said.
Earlier this year, that erosion grew to nearly two feet deep. He says he started making phone calls to utility companies that might be involved.
"The water company, the local utility companies, the parish, the city... That kind of thing," he said.
A couple of months ago, someone came by to dig up the sidewalk for a better look at what was happening below. The dirt is still sitting in Hebert's front yard and there's been a large hole in the ground ever since.
"It just kept getting worse and worse and worse and now, we're up to this."
Hebert says trying to figure out who is responsible for the mess has taken up too much of his spare time.
"Both Cox and AT&T says it's Entergy. Entergy says it's not them," Hebert said. "They have an adjuster assigned to my case. He's called me a couple of times but he says they're not doing much."
Cox, AT&T, Entergy, Livingston Parish DPW, and Ward 2 Water District have been contacted by 2 On Your Side. Entergy says the claim referenced by the customer remains open and it's investigating the circumstances of what happened. Ward 2 Water District says it will have its servicemen check it out. DPW says the utility company responsible for the hole in the pipe is working with their sub-contractor to get the situation corrected. Cox and AT&T are both looking into it.
At some point, it looks like repairs were made. Hebert says the pipe is still in need of repair and needs work.
"It's not very well done and wasn't repaired properly because it started leaking, eroding almost immediately," he said.
Hebert reached out to 2 On Your Side because he thinks progress has stalled.
"I mean, this has been nearly a year of me looking at this. Neighbors are asking me what's going on and I can't explain it to them because I don't know," said Hebert. "All I know is that it's leaking."
Hebert says he heard from an Entergy claims adjuster about a week ago. While he's waiting for an update, Hebert says he's tired of looking at the mess in front of his house. He also fears with Halloween right around the corner that someone is going to get hurt.
"It's an absolute hazard," he said. "If someone falls in they're going to have a problem on their hands fast."
This story will be updated.
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