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A gas leak near a bus stop -- for two weeks

Residents there say they've been smelling gas for almost two weeks, and nothing has been done.
Residents Troy Swartz and Wayne Schmitz want the dangerous problem cleaned up.

Their service is still on, but they say their gas line has been disrupted. It's happening in the 1900 block of Tracey Road at Northwood Estates.

Residents there say they've been smelling gas for almost two weeks, and nothing has been done.

So they're turning to Call 11 for Action Problem Solver Mika Highsmith.

Beside the road is solid ground. But move just steps away, and neighborhood resident Wayne Schmitz describes what you'll find: "It's a buried gas line, and no one wants to do anything about it."

A huge hole in the ground full of bubbling water that was created by a gas leak. Residents say it's been exposed for almost two weeks, and it hasn't been easy on the nose or the eyes. Another resident, Troy Swartz explained, "You can smell it. We don't want nothing bad to happen."

Every time Swartz looks at it, he thinks about the danger it presents and worries about what could happen. He says, "You got older folks in here with issues, and kids can walk thorough."

Especially since their bus stop is nearby. Swartz explains, "Their parents come down here and meet them so they don't bother it."

Wayne Schmitz tells Problem Solver Mika Highsmith, "Columbia Gas said they couldn't do anything about because it wasn't their line."

It's actually the mobile home park's line. Management there has been cooperative. They hired a contractor, but there was confusion. Swartz explains, "They couldn't get a shut off, and they left it."

Now residents are turning to us with one request -- that this mess disappears and disappears soon.

As soon as News 11 left, they began working to fix the problem and, as of now, it should be a done deal.

They also have plans of redoing the lines through out the entire park to prevent things like this from happening in the future. That's a tedious process, though, that will take some time. The important thing is they're willing to do it.

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