Beaver Pond update
Durham Stormwater Services has an ongoing enforcement case against Compare Foods on this discharge. Jonathan Baker is the lead investigator and can provide more details, if necessary. He and other staff members have visited the site several times, have talked to managers, and have sent Notices of Violation (NOV) to both the property owner and the tenant (Compare Foods.) The tenant’s attorney requested an explanatory meeting on the NOV held December 21, and attended by Senior Assistant City Attorney Emanuel McGirt. Their attorney brought engineering plans from when the location was a Winn-Dixie that they intended to us to demonstrate that other businesses may be causing the problem. The plans show that only Compare Foods discharges to the grease trap (first two manholes) and furthermore the plans do not show that any other business discharges to the third manhole immediately downstream from the grease trap.
Initially the sewage was coming from the first manhole, indicating that the grease trap was clogged; now the sewage is coming from the third manhole. It may be that the tenant has cleaned out the grease trap, and is assuming the property owner is responsible for the manhole. Fine amounts are mounting while the finger-pointing plays out. The maximum fine for first time violations is $2,000. However, each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense. The fines will be far in excess of the cost of a plumber to remove a grease blockage.
On the stormwater side, we are pursuing enforcement to get the discharge eliminated.
So the answer is that it takes several City staffers to deal with recalcitrant individuals, and we are required to follow due process. The City maintenance folks are correct that they have done all that THEY can do, but other staffers are prosecuting this case.
I'll be letting the folks at Compare Foods know that i won't be shopping there for the foreseeable future.
How about you?
Labels: beavers, Durham, local government
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3 Comments:
Why would anyone shop at Compare Foods anyway? Their stores are terribly designed and their prices on goods are a ripoff. I'd be happy if they left town completely!
By
Anonymous, at 2:11 AM
i've been a big supporter of Compare foods since they opened. The layout of the place is little changed from the old Winn Dixie. Here's what i said over at Kevin's place abut their pricing:
As far as Compare Foods goes, like any shopping experience, you've got to be savvy. Costco doesn't always have the cheapest prices on the items they carry either. Here's some things i buy regularly which are almost always cheaper at Compare than Kroger or HT or Costco:
lemons
limes
avocados
red peppers
jalapenos
chicken
cabbage
dry beans
potatoes
Mexican coffee
tortillas
tostadas
brand name and packaged items, not so much. Compare is also the only store in town that regularly has fresh pork belly and lamb shoulder chops in the meat section. Prices for those are fair, and occasionally on sale. And it's the only place in town for whole steer heads.
But they've got to be better neighbors than they've shown with this sewer leak issue if they want to keep my business.
By
Barry, at 5:32 AM
I just sent them a note telling them I'm done w/them until it's fixed. I'll miss the $8.99/lb prosciutto until then.
http://www.comparesupermarkets.com/contactus.php
By
Anonymous, at 11:10 AM
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