DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Chris Henshaw is fed up with the city of Doraville’s position after a large speed bump was put in in front of his house where the curb is less than 2-inches tall. Henshaw claims rain channels its way off that speed bump directly over the curb and has caused serious flooding on his property including his basement. He maintains he’s spent thousands of dollars to make repairs.
“Somewhere between $3,000 to $4,000 plus time and mental anguish, sounds a bit strange but when it’s raining heavily at night and you’re sitting in bed hoping your basement isn’t flooding, it’s really frustrating,” said Henshaw.
Henshaw is accusing city leaders of turning a blind eye to a problem he says it created. In fact, City Manager Regina Williams-Gates flat out denied the city is responsible or liable for the size of the curb in front of Henshaw’s house and says they don’t have to follow or comply with development standards when it comes to curb size.
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Henshaw presently has sand bags lined along the curb waiting for the next rainy day. Since last July he documented the flooding with a video camera. He also kept a paper trail of his correspondence with Williams-Gates.
The city of Doraville commissioned an assessment by engineering firm Keck & Wood, Inc. which determined a dumpster being used during a landscaping project before the speed bump was installed could have lowered the curb and lowered the elevation in his yard. Henshaw calls it speculative at best. He sent the following response to Williams-Gates.
“The pure speculation by Keck & Wood regarding why the curbs have sunk is laughable at best. There is no chance that the weight of a dumpster passing over an 8 foot section of curb (the width of a standard dumpster) could possible (sic) have sunk the entire length (50+ feet) of my curbs. Keck & Woods further speculation regarding the flow of water around my property prior to the speed hump installation is laughable as well. Firstly, my home never flooded before the speed bump was installed. Secondly, there are upper and lower 4" French drains along the rear of my home to prevent flooding during standard rains. There is also a ground drain that ties into a 4" underground pipe along the left side of my home and 3 ground drains that tie into a 4" drain line at the right/rear of my home. Additionally, my front yard was graded according to the advice of a licensed landscape architect to help move water away from the foundations. My gutters all tied into a 4" drain system that keeps all of those waters away from the homes foundation as well.”
What’s more, he adds, “There’s only like six speed bumps in the neighborhood and I’m the only one who has flooding issues. Other people aren’t having these problems because they didn’t put a speed bump in front of their house,” Henshaw told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran.
However, Keck & Wood recommended the curb be rebuilt so it’s 6 inches tall.
Henshaw says he wishes he could just do it himself, but that he’s been advised that could be illegal.
“I can’t legally touch them (curb) they’re not mine, they’re not my property.”
In a letter to Henshaw, Williams-Gates wrote that the city isn’t required to follow the “development standard” of 6 inches. She further wrote that the city is not responsible or liable and the City does not have a curb replacement program. Halloran asked Williams-Gates for an on-camera interview. She sent Halloran a text message with the following response.
“I must respectfully decline at this time to make a public statement as Mr. Henshaw has indicated he may bring litigation against the City. However, please be assured the City continues to remain open to talking directly to Mr. Henshaw."
Henshaw isn’t holding his breath.
“I feel as if there’s no such thing as an open dialogue with the city I’ve offered multiple times to come in and I’ve never been granted that request,” says Henshaw.
So instead, he’s building a dirt fortress to increase the height of his lawn he plans to regrow. Mounds of dirt sit atop his front yard.
“Unfortunately, it’s an eyesore at this point. It’s not good for my neighbors, it’s not good for me, it’s not good for property values, it’s frustrating.”
Cox Media Group
