ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – One day after First Alert 4 told you about a wide-open manhole, known as a meter pit, on Montgomery Street near North Grand in St. Louis, First Alert 4 found the hole had been filled with gravel and a safety cone put on top.
And while one hazard is gone, right across the street from the first manhole, we found another wide-open manhole with a cone only blocking some of it. One man who works on the adjacent property said it’s been around for months.
“And I reported it to the lady that owns this establishment, she said when she called the fire department, they thought she was exaggerating,” said Kevin B.
Kevin B., who fixes up the nearby property, said the owner called a few weeks ago, but nothing has been done.
Tuesday, in response to the first open pit, a spokesperson for the City Water Division told us meter pits and their maintenance are the responsibility of the nearby property owner, not the city.
“That seems like it would be city, city property. That shouldn’t be her problem, shouldn’t be her fault, she reported it,” said Kevin B.
First Alert 4 reached out to the mayor’s office about the pits and for clarification on the policy. A city spokesperson said the city filled in the first hole to mitigate against potential harm.
And that commercial properties and residential properties have different rules.
“These appear to be commercial properties, and we have reached out to the owners of these properties informing them of the need to address the missing covers.”
They add they take the matter of the manholes seriously and are looking more into it, as it’s still unclear what happens if a property owner refuses to fix the issue, leaving an open hole in the sidewalk.
First Alert 4 reached out to Missouri American Water, who said they’re responsible for maintenance of the meters and lids, not the customer, and they would replace the lid in similar situations.
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