LETTER: Floods ruined her yard, but city denies her pleas for help

To Ozaukee Press:

It’s my turn for the next TIF district. I have waited 18 years for the City of Port Washington to repair my ruined yard after three flash floods. The third was 15 feet high.

The Sauk Creek flood washed away the big bird feeder my late husband built. It was on a post set in concrete. The retaining wall of concrete we built to protect the corner of our garage is lying on the creek bank. Gone are all my flowering shrubs, small trees and flowers and about a third of my yard. Some parts of my yard are undermined and not safe by the creek.

Sauk Creek was not a problem before the city added two large west side subdivisions to drain storm water into the creek. The city got disaster aid to pay for a clean-up. All I got was the third ward alderman twice coming to my yard to tell me, “I’ll tell you right now the city is going to say they won’t do anything about this.”      

To add to the mess, a huge willow tree  fell across the creek at the end of my yard in August; it’s still there. It fell on two tall evergreen trees and shrubs and flowers at the end of the yard. The same tree took down the power pole on Webster Street and all the power lines.

After many phone calls, I got a call from the DNR to tell me there is no one at City Hall that has the authority to tell the owner to clean it up. You have to ask the neighbor or hire an attorney.

All the taxes we pay and is no one in charge of the city?

Regina Newlin

Port Washington