WESTMINSTER : New Curbs, Gutters Called Band-Aid

Residents on three streets will be getting new curbs and gutters later this year courtesy of the city, but the homeowners say the repairs are merely a short-term solution to more serious soil problems.

“We have an unstable soil condition that we’re not addressing,” said resident Jerry Young. “The houses are going into a big, black hole. What we’re asking is that the city not turn their back on us.”

The City Council this week unanimously approved about $20,000 in street work along sections of Bel Air Circle, Delray Circle and Bermuda Avenue.

Heeding the concerns of neighbors like Young, the council also voted to explore the possibility of installing a storm drain to prevent the chronic flooding and puddling that has plagued the neighborhood for years. Residents point to the flooding as proof of the soil problems in the area.

Young, a Bel Air Circle resident, said the city shouldn’t do any repair work until the soil is stabilized. The shifting earth is probably responsible for the damaged curbs and gutters, dips in the street and structural damage to several homes, according to a report by city staff.

Young and other residents want the city to help them pay for damage to their homes. Westminster officials, however, contend that repairing damage to private property is the developer’s responsibility.

Curbs and gutters on the streets were replaced by the city in the mid-1970s, but residents say the repairs were only effective for about a year.

City Manager Jerry Kenny said combining installation of a small storm drain with the curb and gutter replacements would cost about $80,000. Kenny said the storm drain probably couldn’t be funded unless the city considered creating an assessment district.