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This alley is a soggy, stinky mess

You probably know Randyl Walter and Leslie Basinger’s house if you’ve been on Chimborazo over the last few years, it’s unique to say the least – big, white, maybe sort of shaped like a boat. The story today isn’t their house, but the condition of the alley behind it, which is a soggy, stinky mess.

Two days after the last real rain, the alley is still flooded in an area stretching behind four yards on each side of the alley. There is a swampy smell, part rotting leaves and maybe part sewer. This will be mosquito hell in 2 or 3 months.

It was like this all summer two years ago, says Randyl, but better last summer after the city came through with new gravel. The flooding has returned this spring and residents can’t seen to get a fix.

The ruts and potholes filled with water give evidence that this is not a new problem. Indeed, neighbors have put down boards as walkways to access their trashcans. Part of Randyl and Leslie’s backyard and their parking spot behind their house is lost to the muck.

Standing in the alley, it is apparent that this is the low spot from the north, west, and south. Perhaps adding to the problem is that the water meters are set in the alley and have had leak problems in the past.

“We’ve been calling the city for months,” says Randyl, but without any resolution. Recent contact with City Hall got someone to promise to fix the alley, he says – sometime in October.

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