Public Works Department Looks into Home Erosion Issue

By Adrianna Iwasinski, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Wednesday morning, a city crew with Oklahoma City's Public Works Department met with the homeowner of a house that is in danger of falling into a nearby creek.

Public works director Dennis Clowers said they are looking into whether the erosion issue is affecting a nearby city bridge. If it is, then the city may be able to help fix and fortify the crumbling bank around the creek. If not, then the city can't do anything since the creek is considered a common area owned by the Oaks Owner's Association.

"If there is something we can do legally we'll try to do it. I don't know what that is. We've got some discussions that need to take place with our municipal counselor's officer and with our emergency manager's officer and see if there is something we can do," said Clowers.

Mike Grindstaff is grateful.

"The guys in the meeting, they just saw a problem and they were trying to figure out how to deal with the problem. It was ‘How can we help you?' It was not ‘How can we not help you? So that was a good feeling," the homeowner said.

But Grindstaff does not have a good feeling about how the homeowner's association has handled it so far. Once his home falls, others could follow, creating an even bigger headache for the homeowner's association to deal with.

So far, the homeowner's association has refused to comment despite repeated attempts to contact the managing agent and the president.

Georgie Rasco with the nonprofit Neighborhood Alliance said many homeowner's associations are ill equipped to handle major issues like this. She said they often are underinsured and under funded.

"When you buy into a neighborhood that has a homeowner's association, you become part owner of that neighborhood and with that comes a lot of fiscal responsibility," Rasco said.

This repair alone could cost more than $100,000.

Get information about the basic legal issues for homeowner's association on Tuesday, July 13. Register for the meeting with the Neighborhood Alliance.

More: Homeowner Fears House Will Collapse into Creek from Erosion