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East Point to pay for Greenwood Circle pipe repair after protracted dispute; manager authorized to diagnose
Summary
Council authorized the city manager to pursue further CCTV diagnosis and to cover repairs at no cost to the homeowner up to an agreed cap, after months of dispute over a sinkhole and whether the failing pipe was private or served multiple lots.
East Point — The City Council voted Nov. 17 to authorize the city manager to proceed with further diagnostic work and repair related to a sinkhole on Greenwood Circle, and agreed to cover the cost to the resident up to an approved cap.
The disturbance began after a sinkhole developed on the property of Willie Jackson. Water‑and‑sewer staff told the council the hole is caused by tree‑root intrusion and joint separation in an older concrete storm pipe that serves Mr. Jackson’s property and the adjacent lot. The pipe is not in the city’s mapped storm‑drain easement, staff said, and therefore appears to be a privately installed conveyance that nevertheless serves multiple parcels.
City staff recommended a targeted “point repair” where the pipe joint had separated; an initial estimate prepared earlier was roughly $9,000. The city manager recommended contracting for CCTV camera inspection to better diagnose the pipe’s condition and then pursue the appropriate repair. Council discussed process constraints in the ordinance (including Rule 26 on re‑entertaining motions) because a related motion had been considered in prior meetings, and staff said additional inspection is necessary to determine whether abandoning, collapsing or replacing the pipe is the correct technical approach.
After an extended exchange — during which Water & Sewer Director said crews visually observed root damage at the pipe terminus and stressed that collapsing the line could harm an adjacent property — council voted to authorize the city manager to pursue additional diagnostics and to carry out repairs at city expense up to a financial limit set by council (the manager requested flexibility but council set guidance). The council also required that if costs exceed the approved threshold the city manager must return to council for further action. The council instructed that the repair be completed without cost to Mr. Jackson.
What the city will do next: staff will contract an external CCTV contractor (city’s CCTV camera is inoperable), complete the pipe inspection, confirm the accurate scope and then perform the repair determined to be appropriate by the technical evaluation. The Water & Sewer Department emphasized that the initial visible damage appeared to be tree‑root separation at a joint near the outfall to a creek.
Why it matters beyond this property: Council and staff said the Greenwood Circle case highlights common issues on older private conveyances and the difficulty of determining liability when private pipe infrastructure serves multiple lots. Council members stressed the need for a predictable, ordinance‑based process for similar future claims.
The homeowner, Willie Jackson, thanked the council for moving to resolve the matter; the council asked staff for a short timeline and to return with updates as repair work proceeds.
