TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo woman said her sidewalk is so sunken in, it floods every time it rains. Laverne Enochs said it's also created a major issue when trying to pull her car into her driveway.
After reaching out to the city for years, Enochs turned to our Call 11 For Action phone bank for help.
Enochs has lived on her west Toledo street for about 30 years, but about four years ago her sidewalk leading into her driveway started sinking.
"Gradually, over time - and it just looks like it's getting deeper and deeper into the ground," Enochs said.
She said it has created a number of issues, including for her grandkids who spend a lot of time at her house.
"When it rains, it's just a puddle of water there and the kids, when they play, they're swimming in it and playing in it," Enochs said.
Not to mention the trouble it causes when she tries to pull into her driveway. Her driveway is now several inches higher than the sidewalk.
"My car is low in the front and the front of it drags when I come into the driveway," Enochs said. "I have to go out at an angle."
She said she started calling the city nearly four years ago to see if it could be repaired. Enochs said year after year of calling Engage Toledo, she never got an answer until just a few days ago.
"I got an answer back and they said, 'We don't do sidewalks. It's the owner's responsibility,'" Enochs said.
WTOL 11 reached out to the city as well and got the same response. Per city code, the homeowner is responsible for sidewalk repairs.
WTOL 11 learned the city has a sidewalk rescue grant program. Enochs said the city hadn't told her about that, but said that's a good start and she'll give it a try.
She said a couple of neighbors recently had sidewalks repaired by what appeared to be city crews. WTOL 11 asked the city about that as well and was told there isn't a record of any work on her street.
If you have a problem you need help with, email 11investigates@wtol.com.