LEWISTON — Councilors agreed to set up a review process for people who had sewage back into their homes during a July rainstorm.

The city has already approved $745,000 in bonding to pay for repairs and upgrades to the city lines involved in the July 2 flooding and other floods.  

The July 2 rainstorm resulted in sewage backups in basements in the
neighborhood around White, Bardwell, Nichols and Vale streets.
Additional affected properties were later identified along Wood and
Franklin streets and Central Avenue.

Acting City Administrator Phil Nadeau said five residents have filed
insurance claims with the city’s insurance company, Maine Municipal
Risk Management, seeking to repair damage from the July 2 flooding.
Three have had their claims denied and two are pending.

Nadeau recommended setting aside U.S. Housing and Urban Development loan money for those residents to help them pay for repairs and cleanup costs.

Several councilors balked at that, saying the city might have a responsibility to pay for repairs even if the insurance company decided the city was not to blame.

“I don’t necessarily think that the MMA has the best interest of the citizens in mind when it’s making these decisions,” Councilor Tom Peters said, referring to the Maine Municipal Association. “They may be trying to save the city some money, but I don’t see them acting on the public’s behalf.”

Councilor Denis Theriault said the city did appear to be to blame, since repairs to the city’s system had been approved.

“The bottom line for me is that the city has moved to improve the sanitation system,” Theriault said. “I hate to say it; that’s exactly what someone guilty would do.”

Mayor Larry Gilbert argued that the city was not to blame.

“Our system worked fine until this incident,” Gilbert said. “Once we became aware of a problem, we’ve moved quickly to rectify the situation. It’s exactly what we should have done.”

Councilors agreed to create a review process for homes damaged in the flooding, potentially paying for damage if the city did appear to be at fault. If not, councilors agreed to make the loans available. 

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