Business protests plumbing work on driveway

Now it seems like a case of much ado about nothing but this morning the manager of a factory on North Front Street thought she was going to have a serious problem on her hands, and seventy five employees unable to use the lavatory when she discovered a plumber digging up her driveway. As Janelle Chanona found out, it was a case of everyone getting their wires, or in this case their pipes, crossed.

Edlin Trapp, Security Officer, Unity Enterprises

“They’re digging the sewage without us giving them any permission. The Water and Sewage Authority told me to call the police because they don’t know anything about it.”

The factory manager of Unity Enterprises, Joecy Kuo didn’t know about it either. She found out that plumbing work was going to be done after she saw men breaking up the factory’s driveway. Plumber Ansel West Jr. says the only way to connect the house next door to the main sewer line is through Unity’s driveway. He says he had permission from WASA.

Ansel West Jr., Plumber

“We went into WASA to find out if there was a reasonable way to get out of this situation that we’re in. So we got our word of mouth go-ahead from Mr. Lindo from the Sewage Authority.”

However WASA representatives say their inspectors only check to make sure the right valves and pipes are used and that it was the responsibility of the plumber to get permission from the property owner being affected by his work.

J.C.

“The people are saying that you didn’t get permission from them to do this, that it’s fine that you got permission from WASA, but they are the ones that are being affected by this.”

Ansel West Jr.

“Maybe it’s a miscommunication due to the fact that we think that this is a government property.”

But now the plumber knows it is someone else’s property and says he should have checked with the owner before beginning to work. As to the factory manager’s concern that the toilets would be affected by the work, West says absolutely not. We did a short test and proved the manager’s concern didn’t wash.

Ansel West has said that part of his contract includes fixing the driveway back to the way it was.