Claim by Bob Smith5. Time of Incident: 5:00 pm
4
CLAIM AGAINST THE CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
1. Name of Claimant: Robert L. Smith
3. Telephone Number: 563- 583 -6100 ext 206
4. Date of Incident: April 30, 2010
8. What were weather conditions like? windy
This written report constitutes your claim against the City of Dubuque, Iowa. You should
complete this form in full and attach any additional information that supports your claim.
The Claim must be filed with the City Clerk at City Hall, 50 W. 13 St., Dubuque, IA 52001. It
will then be referred by the City Council to the appropriate department for investigation.
Once that investigation is completed, a report and recommendation will be submitted to the
City Council. You will be provided with a copy of that report and recommendation.
THE FINAL DECISION ON ALL CLAIMS IS MADE BY THE CITY COUNCIL. NO EMPLOYEE OF
THE CITY OF DUBUQUE HAS THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION TO YOU
AS TO WHETHER YOUR CLAIM WILL OR WILL NOT BE PAID.
2. Address: 600 Star Brewery Dr. Dubuque, la 520014
6. Location of Incident (Be specific): T Hangers at Dubuque Regional
Airport
7. DESCRIBE ACCIDENT OR OCCURRENCE THAT CAUSED INJURY OR DAMAGE. (Give
full details upon which you base your claim. If a City employee was involved, give the
employee's name.)
On April 30 ,winds reported at 50 miles per hour blew the roof of the T- hangars off
resulting in the walls of the hangar falling. Debris from the falling walls and roof supports
damaged my aircraft. (see attached pictures)
9. Give name and address of any witnesses: City airport employees: None
10. Did police investigate? (If so, give names of officers.)
Todd Dalsinq, Operations and Maintence Supv. for the Dubuque Regional Airport
investigated.
11. Was anyone injured? (If so, give names, addresses, and extent of injuries).
No.
12. Was any damage done to property? (If so, describe property and the extent of
damages. Attach estimates of damages or describe basis for ascertaining extent of
damage.)
The T Hangers were totally destroyed and 14 airplanes were damaged including my 2007
Sea -Rey single engine airplane. The airplane will be shipped to Orlando, Florida for repair.
Estimate of damage is $10,000 to $20,000. No actual estimate can be finalized until the
plane is received at the factory.
13. What other damages do you claim, if any?
Expenses incurred with transporting the plane to and from the factory.
14. Have you been compensated for any part or all of your claim by any insurance
company? (If so, give name and address of insurance company and amount paid.)
No. I do not carry comprehensive insurance on my plane
15. What amount do you claim from the City of Dubuque?
The costs associated with repair as outlined above.
16. Why do you claim the City of Dubuque is responsible?
The City Airport Administration knew that the roof of this T- hangar was not anchored to the
ground which is industry standard. I did not know that the roof was not anchored at the
time I signed my lease June 1, 2009. I learned of this condition after the damage to the
airplane on April 30 2010. While surveying the damage on the evening of April 30 along
with many of the other owners, I was told by a fellow owner that he suspected the hangar
failure was due the roof not being anchored. He also told me that one of the tenants had
moved his plane out two years ago when he found the lack of roof security. I verified his
suspicion, no security was found on the beams. (see attached photos
If I had been informed by the city of this condition when I leased the hangar, I would have
requested to be in one of the higher end hangars. (the City did not tell me, "Bob, the price
is low, but the building is not safe ".
The City's other hangars received minor damage, other than the damage caused by the roof
of the T- Hangar hitting them. The City's claim that the reason the T- Hangars went down,
and the other hangars escaped major damage, was that the T's took the brunt of the storm
and served as a shelter to the other hangars, is not realistic. When the roof blew off in
virtually one piece (some 30'x300 ") the hangar walls fell to the ground, offering no
protection to the other hangars.
The steel beam that spanned the length of the hangar was secured only with small bolts.
The City's argument that they stood for 50 years is not relevant. The facts are that a few
~
~^