Claim by Dennis and Catherine MohrTHE CITY OF
DUB
E MEMORANDUM
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TRACEY STECKLEIN
PARALEGAL
To: Mayor Roy D. Buol and
Members of the City Council
DATE: October 7, 2011
RE: Claim Against the City of Dubuque by Dennis & Catherine Mohr
Claimants Date of Claim Date of Loss Nature of Claim
Dennis & Catherine 10/05/11 07/28/11 Property Damage
Mohr
This is a claim in which claimants allege that the basement of their residence at 1723
North Algona Street sustained water damage during the July 28, 2011 rain event.
This claim has been referred to Public Entity Risk Services of Iowa, the agent for the Iowa
Communities Assurance Pool.
cc: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
John Klostermann, Street & Sewer Maintenance Supervisor
Dennis & Catherine Mohr
OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY DUBUQUE, IOWA
SUITE 330, HARBOR VIEW PLACE, 300 MAIN STREET DUBUQUE, IA 52001 -6944
TELEPHONE (563) 583 -4113 / FAx (563) 583 -1040 / EMAIL tsteckle @cityofdubuque.org
/
CLAIM AGAINST THE CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
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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 Da ^. •
supports your claim.
The claim must be filed with the City Clerk at City Hall, 50 West 13th St.,
Dubuque, IA 52001. It will then be referred to the appropriate department for
investigation and to the City Attorney's Office. 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.
CLti 1. Name of Claimant: '(iy.flj
3. Telephone Number ' )l '? _ `i k 12 73
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4. Date of Incident: JU1L) ZS, kip
5. Time of Incident: AI) l - ijiv
6. L cation of Incident (Be specific):
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2. Address:
7. Describe the 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 mployee's name.)
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8. Wliat were weather conditions like?
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9 Give name and address of any witnessep :
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10. Did police investigate? (If so, give names of officers.)
11. Was anyone injured? (If so, give names, addresses, and extent of injuries).
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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.)
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13. What other damages do you claim, if any?
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.)
15. Mat amount do you claim from the City of Dubuque?
16. `Wh do you claim the City of Dubuque is responsible? y
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17. Have you made any claim against anyone else for damages as a result of
this inciden�Gf yes, give name and address.)
18. If the answer to Question 17 is yes, have you received any payment from that
source, and if so, in what amount?
Dated this 4 day of @dug , 20 t` .
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(Signature)
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(Print Name)
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Dennis and Catherine Mohr
1723 North Algona
Dubuque, IA 52001
T 563 -451 -7273
T 563- 542 -7274
October 4, 2011
City of Dubuque
City Clerk at City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear City Clerk,
In the early morning of July 28th, 2011 we found 20" of city sewer backup in our basement. We had to gut
and disinfect our entire basement along with anything that was even salvagable.
Due to the extent of damage and the cost to repair /replace things we are filing a claim against the city.
Our insurance did not cover anything and there was no FEMA money. We feel we should not have to be
responsible to pay for this entire expense out of our pocket.
We had to have our furnace /air conditioner repaired right away as apparently the motor blew up in the sewage water.
Our furnace /ac is only a year old and it was quite costly to get this fixed as they had to order the
motor and with the sewage smell, the extreme heat and no air for a week it was quite unbearable
at times.
Pretty much everything was destroyed in the sewage water and here is a list of bills that have been
paid out of our pocket so far.
Patterson Heating /Cooling $799.35
Water Heater $314.98
Dittmer Recycling - Dumpster $212.64
Disposable Cameras $20.76
Photofinishing $54.06
Cleaning Supplies Ace $18.17
Bleach /Cleaning Supplies Dollar Tree $10.70
Rubber Boots, Gloves Theisens $31.97
Cleaning Supplies Menards $50.15
Dehumidifier Menards $154.98
6 Fans to help dry out basement $135.49
Total Bills Paid out of pocket $1,803.25
This is a list of estimates to fix/replace the walls, doors, flooring etc.
J &J Drywall (to fix the 4 ft of drywall that had to be torn out). $1,785.00
Carpet $1,200.00
Bathroom Vanity $425.00
White raised panel interior doors - 5 $350.00
Baseboard /door trim $300.00
Electric Baseboard Heat $95.00
Replace wall outlets $45.00
Paint and Primer $250.00
Estimates for Home Repair $4,450.00
J
This is a listing to replace the contents that were lost.
Couch
Swivel leather chair (a year old)
Treadmill (Schwinn) Pd 1271.99 new
Boom Box CD /tape player
Dell Computer (monitor covered in sewage water)
Desk
Paper Shredder
Humidifier
Eureka Vacuum Cleaner
Kenmore Canister Vacuum
DVD Player
DVD Tapes
CD's
Camera Nikon Cool Pix (stored in desk drawer)
Insulated Winter Boots (2 pair)
Estimates to replace contents
Total Estimate
$700.00
$300.00
$700.00
$85.00
$700.00
$300.00
$30.00
$45.00
$150.00
$100.00
$65.00
$35.00
$50.00
$120.00
$150.00
$3,530.00
$9,783.25
There are several other minor things we had to throw out that are too numerous to list. You can
only imagine the mess this made in our home. There are a couple of end tables we are hoping to save
but they will need to be sanded and stained to be restored back to their natural look.
Clothes Washer and Dryer - unknown at this time $1000 if we need to replace
The washer and dryer both continue to make noises to this day. The washer sounds like it's going
to take off in the spin cycle and it squeaks during the wash cycle. The dryer had several inches of
water sitting in the drum and it continues to squeal and make noises.
Irreplaceable Items
Wedding Dress
Photo's
Photo album
Files and paperwork in file cabinet and desk drawers
This estimate does not include the mental stress and physical labor that we endured through this whole ordeal
and still do, due to the fact that part of our home is still a disaster.
We do not have the finances to restore our basement to the way it was. We sincerely hope that the city will
step up and take care of their responsibility.
Sincerely,
co,/
Dennis and Catherine Mohr
Enclosures