WILDWOOD, FL (352today.com) – A problem lurking beneath the surface of a road in The Villages is causing more problems for families above ground.
The City of Wildwood’s efforts to fix problems associated with surface depressions on Scardino Street have been going on since mid-August.
The Latest Repairs
On Monday, Nov. 20, the city announced it has completed additional stabilization of the public right-of-way on Scardino Street. They say crews completed injecting grout at 21 sites on Friday, Nov. 10, and are waiting for engineers to sign-off that the repairs were successful.
City officials say the depressions were caused by natural events and not by the stormwater structure nor any other public utility infrastructure.
Next Step
The city says the next step is to repair the utility infrastructure damaged during the collapse. That’s scheduled to begin on Monday, Nov. 27, right after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Once that begins, about a dozen homes on Scardino Street will need to be disconnected from sanitary sewer lines to allow they system to be rebuilt. Impacted residents will be temporarily relocated until service is restored. They say repairs are currently expected to take three to four weeks. Their hope is for residents to be back home by Christmas.
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According to city staff, they met with residents last week to listen to their feedback and discuss housing arrangements with a local hospitality provider.
“We have maintained two-way communication with residents throughout this process, and taken their concerns to heart,” said Public Works Director Jeremy Hockenbury. “We opted to start the next phase of repairs after Thanksgiving to allow residents to enjoy the holidays at home with their families. We now look forward to expediting the road and utility work to the greatest extent possible while making sure it also meets the highest safety, quality, and engineering standards.”
City officials say relocation costs per household is around $840 per week. They say they are covering the costs and providing residents with hotel suites equipped with kitchens and refrigerators. “Eight out of the 12 have decided to choose this option, while others have chosen to stay elsewhere… at their own expense,” said a spokesperson.
At this time, the roadway can only be accessed by residents and authorized personnel.