Residents urge city action after water-main damage, invite commissioners to site tour

Tom Sherino, a resident of Allerton Street in the 3rd Ward, told the Grand Rapids City Commission that at least three houses on Allerton have sustained “unbelievable, significant damage” following a recent water-main incident. Sherino said neighbors have begun organizing, held an initial meeting to coordinate, and plan to invite commissioners to a roughly 20-minute tour in about two weeks so officials can see the damage firsthand.

“Again, I live in Allerton, but all I’ve been paying attention to is our own property. So now we gotta start paying attention to other people’s property,” Sherino said, urging the commission to join the tour so they can witness the scope of the problem.

A second resident who identified himself as Mark described living with contaminated water and called for more immediate action. “You can’t have families in there dealing with contaminated water,” Mark said, connecting the water-main failure to broader public-health and cost concerns for affected households.

The mayor opened public comment and asked speakers to state their names and cities; both speakers identified themselves and asked the commission to respond. Sherino said residents will reach out with a proposed date for the site visit and expected to invite the third-ward commissioners to attend.

No formal motion or vote was taken during the public-comment period about the water-main damage. The commission’s routine business continued after public comment; the meeting record shows the clerk later filed reports on a parks bond sale and routine financial warrants.