By Bobby Cherry

Published: Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 12:27 p.m.
Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A Leetsdale homeowner wants the borough to pay for damage inside her home she said was caused by a raw-sewage backup.

On Jan. 30, the basement of Susan Falcone and her husband Michael's Winding Road home filled with raw sewage after, she said, a nearby pipe was found to be blocked.

Among the items Falcone said were damaged include several pieces of furniture, a television and clothing.

“The expense is in the thousands,” she told council at a meeting earlier this month.

“We had sentimental items stored in the basement. They're gone.”

A manhole discovered about 4 inches below the surface in a neighbor's yard appeared to be the source of the problem, Falcone said.

Falcone said she found the manhole marked on borough maps but that Leetsdale workers told her they had not previously known about the manhole.

“It's never been cleaned in 20 years,” Falcone said.

“Maintenance should be done on every manhole.”

Adding to her frustration was a Feb. 9 letter from the borough's insurance company releasing Leetsdale from responsibility of the incident, Falcone said.

“Just because Leetsdale's insurance (company) is not paying it, it's still the borough's responsibility to take care of it,” she said.

Leetsdale officials did not publicly comment on the matter.

Council members discussed the matter in executive session at February's monthly meeting.

Borough Solicitor Kate Diersen said she planned to contact the borough's insurance company and expected to know next month if the borough could be financially responsible.

Bobby Cherry is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-324-1408 orrcherry@tribweb.com.

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