Repairs got under way Thursday on a stormwater drain pipe in the Village of Winifred that failed and caused two large holes and a sunken area in a resident’s front yard.
According to a recent email from Sumter County Administrator Bradley Arnold following storm drain cleaning the area of Winifred Way, there was “no alternative” but to replace the damaged pipe that caused the issues. Arnold sent the email to Villages-News.com following another recent stormwater pipe issue that left a hole in the pavement of Evans Prairie Trail.
The holes in the Village of Winifred opened up late last month in the front yard of a Designer home owned by Carol Thomas at 733 Winifred Way following a large-scale cleaning of the storm drains in the neighborhood. The largest hole initially appeared to be about four feet deep and a large area of grass-covered ground could be seen down inside the hole, which also extended well underneath Thomas’ damaged driveway.
The second, smaller sinkhole was about 15 to 20 feet away on the south side Thomas’ property, bordering her neighbor’s yard. The sunken area of ground sat just a couple of feet away from that depression and appeared as if it would connect the two if it opened up.
Throughout the ordeal, construction barricades also lined the front of Thomas’ house and portions of her neighbor’s driveways, while a series of large orange cones stretched across her driveway and front yard. And the driving lane of Winifred Way directly in front of Thomas’ house was blocked by the barricades, forcing traffic down to one lane for a short distance.
On Thursday morning, it was as much different story in the normally quiet neighborhood as the street was completely blocked off and pieces of heavy machinery were brought in to dig up the pavement and portions of several front yards and driveways to replace the damaged pipe. Piles of dirt lined what was left of the road while large, gaping holes were visible in several places behind the barriers closing off the street.
Last month, a nearby neighbor had expressed fear that his yard could be damaged by the holes as he surveyed the damage in Thomas’ yard. Thursday, with yards along the pipeline dug up, it was obvious that residents living in those homes would have to park their vehicles elsewhere and use extreme caution just to get to their front doors.
Meanwhile, the hole that opened up on Evans Prairie Trail at the end of August also was blamed on a failed stormwater pipe. Arnold sent Villages-News.com several photos that were taken inside the pipe that clearly showed where it had been compromised below the opening in the roadway. He said the county regularly schedules cleaning, inspection and repairs to stormwater pipes in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown in an effort to “prevent surprises” on the infrastructure that originally was built by The Villages and later turned over to the county to maintain.
These latest holes that have rattled Villagers’ nerves are among many that have been reported in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown over the past several years. At the end of July, a hole eerily similar to the one on Evans Prairie Trail opened up at the corner of County Road 466 and County Road 101 – just a few feet away from a storm drain. That hole, which was located at the corner of the intersection in the northbound lane of CR 101, forced officials to close a portion of the roadway at the entrance to the Village of Summerhill, just west of the Southern Trace Plaza and across from The Villages High School, until it was repaired a few days later.
Of course, most Villages residents also are aware of the devastating sinkholes that opened up in February and forced residents from two homes in the Village of Calumet Grove that were deemed unlivable. Engineering experts – two geotechnical and one structural – have agreed that one of those homes at 17092 McLawren Terrace isn’t repairable and they have recommended it be condemned and torn down. But Villager Doris Morrill reportedly is trying to sell the home and the situation became even more complicated recently when it was revealed that she is a “tenant for life” in the house, as her late husband’s children were his heirs.
Morrill’s neighbors, Frank and Jan Neumann, also were forced to leave their damaged home and find alternate living arrangements. And the problem was made even worse in May when four more sinkholes opened up on the same properties and in the roadway in front of the damaged homes.
In an effort to get the situation on McLawren Terrace resolved, Marion County Code Enforcement opened a case regarding Morrill’s home. Officials from the county’s Building Safety Department inspected the structure, deemed it unsafe and requested code enforcement officials to open the case per the Marion County Code of Ordinances, article five, section 82.
But until something happens with the damaged structure and the ground around it is stabilized, the Neumanns can’t do much to repair their home and return to enjoying the lifestyle they came here for in their retirement years. And the District can’t assess a controversial storm drain pipe running between the two damaged homes and make any needed repairs because the area has been deemed unsafe for work crews.
So as they have for the past seven months, frazzled Calumet Grove residents are left worrying about their property values plummeting in the wake of the continued sinkhole issues. Community Development District 4 remains on the hook for a plethora of costs – the figure was at $560,000 on Aug. 10 – associated with the issue. And nerves remain even more on edge as Florida goes through hurricane season with the fear of even more sinkholes opening up if a storm like Hurricane Irma devastates the community like it did last September.
