Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 29, 1994 TAG: 9412070068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The refrigerator, along with two TVs, a microwave and the transformer on her furnace, got fried this month when the Salem Electric Department, stringing lines for the new ballpark in Garman's neighborhood, forgot to ground their line.
Neighbors who were home at the time said when the power surge flowed through their houses, there was a "brilliant flash." Lights glowed eerily before residents ran out to tell the crew working on a nearby pole that something was wrong.
"Our ceiling fan, we turned it off, but it kept going - like a helicopter going through the ceiling," Annie Braisted said.
Garman was baby-sitting her two grandchildren when the small light in her den flared and "lit up the room."
"It was scary," she said. "I grabbed both of them and headed out the door to tell the men [on the crew] something was wrong."
Seven or eight homes lost appliances on Slemp Street, which sits next to the site of the new minor-league baseball stadium being built to house the Salem Avalanche, formerly known as the Buccaneers. The power surge occurred three weeks ago, and residents are angry that the city hasn't paid them for their damages.
Garman was without a furnace overnight and without a refrigerator for four days, until she could get a new one delivered. Braisted said she's had to buy a new TV, telephone, pager, answering machine, two fans, a boom box and a radio. A stereo receiver was repaired. The total loss: a little more than $1,000, she said.
The city admitted fault in the incident, which residents said they were told sent up to 3,600 volts of electricity through their houses, compared to the usual 120/240 volts normally used in a residence.
"Anything could have happened," said one resident. "These houses could have burned from that."
The insurance company has told residents it will pay only for replacements minus depreciation of about 10 percent a year, Garman said.
"I'll owe you if that's the case," Garman told the adjuster. Her refrigerator was 14 years old.
Angry residents addressed Salem City Council Monday night and council members, unaware of the problem, asked for a report from city staff.
Mayor Jim Taliaferro told Slemp Street homeowners that city council "never" handles negligence claims and that he was concerned about setting a precedent for future incidents. But he said he could at least assure them that council members would speed the process along.
Last week, City Manager Randy Smith said he knew residents were upset, but said he has to let Hartford Insurance handle it.
"It depends how old the TV is - that's the way the insurance is written," Smith said. "If I paid them the difference, do you know what precedent that would be? I can't get in the claims business; that's what insurance is for."
But Arlene Hartberger, who lost a refrigerator, microwave and a radio, said the few thousand dollars they need is a pittance compared with the $6 million the city is paying for the stadium.
"If they've got that much for a stadium, why shouldn't they pay us this little amount for our stuff?" Hartberger asked.
by CNB