Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508110034
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Paul Sult with C.R. Sult Inc. responded to a Wednesday New River Current article that described Jeff Raines' attempts to get his 400-foot rural driveway repaired following heavy rains this summer.
Raines said the driveway shared by three families only had runoff problems following the clearing of land and start of construction for Wolverine. Sult's firm is performing that excavating work.
Raines has sought help from the state and county governments, but said he's been frustrated by the ineffective response. He says the contractor should help pay to put the driveway back in shape.
Sult, though, released an engineering report completed Wednesday by Thomas I. Roberts with Anderson & Associates, the firm that prepared the original erosion-control plan for the Wolverine project.
Roberts concluded the drainage problem in Raines' driveway resulted from the installation of 15-inch culverts that are too small to handle runoff with or without construction uphill. He recommended 36-inch culverts. "There would be drainage problems regardless of whether or not construction was taking place at the Wolverine site," the engineer wrote. The conclusion is supported by seven pages of calculations, maps and charts.
Sult said he knew that just looking at Raines' driveway, but wanted documentation from an engineer. Raines is "using this as an opportunity to try to get somebody to pay to fix his driveway," Sult said.
Raines said Thursday he wasn't surprised by the engineer's conclusion. "It'd be foolish for them to say they didn't know what they were doing, that they made a mistake" in the erosion-control plan, Raines said.
The Raineses have lived at the location for 17 years and have never had flooding like this summer's. "Looks to me that they're still responsible, if it hasn't happened since '78," Raines said.
Yet the homeowner seemed ready to throw in the towel and just buy another load of gravel to patch up his road himself. "I just can't see fighting them. I don't think I could get enough money and a good enough lawyer," he said. "It is kind of discouraging but I guess I'll live with it."
by CNB