MOLINE, Ill. — Back in June, several 47th St. residents were impacted by sewage after a pipe burst. According to an investigation by the city of Moline, the back-ups were caused by the actions of a contractor, Legacy Corporation of IL.
Andy Waeyaert, Regional Manager of Indiana, Illinois Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting, says the contractor has not communicated with them about repairs.
“It’s unfortunate that residents must be impacted firsthand for the city to reconsider working with a non-responsible contractor," Waeyaert said. "We are calling on Legacy Corporation to do the right thing and take responsibility for their actions.”
Nine homes were damaged by the sewage flooding. Jasmine Lee is one of those homeowners. She built her home back in 2017 and says she spent nearly $26,000 in repairs.
"My basement was full of water and lots of parts needed to be replaced," Lee said. "The day of the incident, I couldn't figure out what was happening. It was over 12 inches before I reached out to the city."
Lee also says since the incident, she became ill with two strains of E. coli.
Many homeowners around the neighborhood had to replace carpet, doorframes, walls and much more.
Lee says she received one call from the city. "The contractor is not really doing anything. So we're going to cover things. I sent several emails with bills to them and I haven't heard anything back from it. So I don't know if anything's been paid but I haven't been reimbursed at all for my flooring that I purchased," she said.
She hopes to receive a reimbursement for all repairs she paid for.
According to the city's spokesperson, "the city has covered initial mitigation costs. Any future damages will have to be paid by insurance."