This winter, the city tree at the curb fell. It landed on my truck, on the garage, and also on my neighbor Butch's house. It took down Butch's antenna, bent the mast, punched holes in the roof of my garage, gouged the side of the garage and roughed up my lawn.
A month earlier, a huge branch had fallen. The city came, cut it up and took it away. A year earlier, I had written the city about another branch that was hanging over the electrical supply line to my house. If that branch falls, it will disconnect my electric . I ask the city to prune this tree. They did not. Instead, they say that I can cut the branch myself. How can I do that? By good luck, my across the street neighbor has an arborist doing work for him. He sends the man to my house to cut the threatening branch. So, that is three instances with this tree.
When it finally had to be removed, the city tree crew came and did the work. They picked up all the branches that were dug into my lawn. By accident, they also pulled out a newly planted pear tree. It was winter. The tree looked just like any other branch stuck in the lawn. The crew used a bucket truck to get the branches off the roof of the garage. By doing so, they also pulled off my weather vane and broke it so it could not be reinstalled.
Now my neighbor and I have to repair the damage to our houses. I have holes in the roof of the garage. It rains inside the garage. This condition can't be ignored.
Butch hires someone to remove the bent mast that held his antennae. If that pole hadn't been there, the entire side of his house would have been damaged. I bet He would have had windows smashed. It was a really big maple tree at the end of its life...rotten inside.
I hire someone to replace just the damaged half of the garage roof, replace siding, repaint the damaged side. A landscaper comes to fill in the holes and spread grass seed. The total bill is around $2,000. The bill is submitted to the city for repayment. They refuse to pay, stating they have no responsibility to inspect their trees.
I have filed in small claims court. The city hires an attorney who tries to get the case out of small claims court into another court where he will have an advantage. He fails...the case isn't scheduled yet.
Meanwhile, there is a big space in the sidewalk where the tree was. Someone will fall in the hole and break an ankle. The maintenance of the sidewalk is the home owner's responsibility. I have to have a new sidewalk put in because the hole is a liability exposure.
My tenant has 2 squares of sidewalk that need replacement. Might as well have that done, too...as long as the mason is here. and....While He is here, I might as well have the garage floor and driveway done. They are cracked. Grass grows in the cracks. There are several sunken spots in the garage as if someone dropped something very heavy there. All this needs to be replaced. Might just as well do it all.
I call in my favorite masons. They did a wonderful job putting down the stone paver walkways. They also did a wonderful job installing glass blocks in the basement windows. I know they will do a good job on the sidewalk.
Yes. They did that. They also power washed the old sidewalk between my new sidewalk and the tenant's new sidewalk...and they edged it, too. The whole place looks pretty good.
The cost for all that concrete work was expensive, but it had to be done. I don't mind paying for this work, as I know I will never have to do it again. However, I feel strongly that the city should pay for the damage the tree did. The case doesn't have a date in court as yet.