Claim Response Melssen, JosephBARRY A. LINDAHL, Es~
CORPORATION COUNSEL,~ITY OF DUBUQUE
MEMO
TO:
Mayor Terrance M. Duggan and
Members of the City Council
DATE:
February 17, 2003
RE:
Claim Against the City By Joseph Melssen
Claimant
Date of Claim
Date of Loss
Nature of Claim
Joseph Melssen 01/27/03 01/23/03
Property Damage
This is a claim in which claimant states that a sewer line backed up causing damage to
carpet and card tables in claimant's basement.
According to the report of John Klostermann, Street/Sewer Maintenance Supervisor,
Operations & Maintenance crew responded to a sewer call on January 23, 2003 at 1990
VVhittier Street, and discovered that the main line on Hamilton Street, between Rhomberg
and Garfield Streets, was plugged. The line was jetted and service was restored in a
timely manner. Mr. Klostermann states that the Hamilton line has been a problem line in
the past, and although improvements have been made to this line over the recent years,
Mr. Melssen's home was affected by the back-up that occurred.
It is therefore the recommendation of John Klostermann to approve this claim for the
amount of $335.00. The Legal Department concurs with this recommendation.
BAL/tls
Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Jeanne Schneider, City Clerk
John Klostermann, Street/Sewer Maintenance Supervisor
Joseph Melssen
SUITE 330, HARBOR VIEW PLACE, 300 MAIN STREET DUBUQUE, IA 52001-6944
TELEPHONE (563) 583-4113 / FAX (563) 583-1040 / F_MAIL BALESQ~MVVCI.NET
Operations and Maintenance Department
925 Kerper Boulevard
Dubuque, iowa 52001-2338
(563) 5894250 office
(563) 5894252 fax
¢63) ~894~3 T~D
ops&m~dnt~cityofd~buque.org
Februaw 17,2003
Barry Lindahl
Corporation Council
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque IA 52004-4864
Dear Barry:
This letter will respond to the claim filed by Mr. Joe Melssen.
On January 23rd we responded to a sewer call at 1990 Whittier. Our crew discovered
that our main line was plugged on Hamilton, between Rhomberg and Garfield. The line
was jetted and service restored in a timely manner.
Although Mr. Melssen's home is not directed served by the Hamilton line, he is affected
by any back up that would occur in this section of the line. The Hamilton line has been
a problem line in the past and does require monthly maintenance. Our records show
that we have responded to calls for service on this line five times since 1995.
Although we have made improvements to the Hamilton line over the recent years and
we do perform monthly maintenance to avoid backups, our efforts were not successful
in this case. It is therefore my recommendation to pay the claim as filed:
If you need any additional information concerning this claim, please contact me.
S' rely, .
Street/Sewer Maintenance SuPervisor
Service People tnte~ty Respon~ibilffy Innovation Teamwork