- Residents of the Regis building feel ignored regarding repairs to a sinkhole that opened in January.
- Banners have been displayed at the sinkhole site, criticizing local officials for inaction.
- Lisa Kilker has spray-painted signs aimed at city council rep Juanita Johnson and Mayor Jean Stothert.
After months of feeling overlooked, Regis building residents express their dissatisfaction with local leaders regarding the 16th Street sinkhole.
Neighbors hang new banner downtown and call out mayor over the 16th street sinkhole.
Residents of the Regis building told KMTV that they feel ignored after experiencing complications in their building’s basement, which they believe led to the opening of a sinkhole in January.
“We were not getting anywhere with the city, so we decided to start pounding the pavement, you know, keep it PG, keep it simple, keep it light, you know, and not really offend anybody, but at the same time, like please make it aware that we are desperate at this point,” Lisa Kilker, the activist, said.
Lisa Kilker spray-painted two signs, which explains why they have strung banners along the barricades blocking the 16th Street sinkhole. One is addressing their city council representative, Juanita Johnson, and on Monday, Mayor Jean Stothert.
“We are doing everything we can to save this building and the residents inside it. “I believe this is the best way to go about it at this time,” Kilker said.
Kilker stated that she is using the mayoral campaign to gain attention and hopefully answers.
“To me, it means first and foremost, being responsive. When there is an issue, one of the things I do, even as treasurer, is ensure that someone responds,” said mayoral candidate John Ewing.
The mayor disputed residents’ claims that her office has been unresponsive to their concerns.
“To say that we are not in contact with anybody is just another false statement we are,” Mayor Stothert added. “the important thing is why there is still barricades there is you have to find out the cause of why that sinkhole happened and then you have to fix the cause before you fix the alleyway and that is what we want to do first and that is what we are trying to do, but it appears it is some structural issue with the with the building.”
Tom Dinaro lives in the building and expressed concern about his home and the alley next to it.
“Infrastructure is important and this should be one of the mainstays of civilized society is roads and streets and rivers and pipes and plumbing,” according to Dinaro.
Dinaro and others met with Ewing to discuss public safety concerns and show him the basement of the building.
“We should be looking at how we help resolve this for the people in this building,” according to Ewing.
Mayor Jean Stothert confirmed on Monday that the city is pursuing legal action against the building.
“Now that there is a lawsuit filed now we have to hold off and just barricade it to make sure that no one gets injured,” according to Stothert.
Mayor Stothert stated that City Engineers are still searching for the water source, but they believe the sinkhole was caused by a structural issue with the Regis Building.