Wimbledon neighbors press city over cape‑seal work they call unsafe and unfinished

Residents from Wimbledon Drive and nearby Poppleton Park filled the commission chamber and described months — in some cases years — of disturbance from the street reconstruction. Speakers reported uneven, roller‑coaster sections after cape‑seal, puddles, damaged irrigation systems and driveways, and a long construction timeline that they said left the neighborhood unsafe and the road substandard.

“It's like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride,” said one resident, and several speakers asked the city to require the contractor to fix the entire project at no cost to homeowners if the work fails to meet accepted standards. Neighbors also described project-related safety hazards — exposed utility breaks, deep excavation sites, and loss of access during interim work.

City Manager Jana Ecker and the project engineer, Paul Tulacangas of Nowak & Fraus, answered residents' concerns. Tulacangas said the work was constructed to plan, but emphasized that final as‑built surveys and a contractor punch list remain and are expected to address many edge and drainage issues. He noted that cape‑seal surfacing often settles over several weeks and that the most visible problems are sometimes isolated pockets that can be fixed during final work. The manager said crews still must complete hand‑tooling around catch basins, clean seal material from manhole covers and finalize transitions to driveways.

Contract management and accountability were recurring requests: residents said the work sat incomplete for months, uprooted sprinkler systems, and damaged personal property. Several urged the commission to seek stronger contract terms on future projects — clearer acceptance criteria, liquidated damages tied to calendar overruns, and better staging‑area oversight after residents reported a city property being used as a contractor staging site.

The commission and city staff said they had been briefed and driven the road, that punch‑list items would be prepared, and that staff would pursue additional engineering verification and a timeline for remediation. Commissioners said they would press the administration for firm corrective steps and clarify any homeowner cost-sharing decisions.

What’s next: The city manager and engineering staff will prepare an updated punch list, contract remedies (if any), and a timeline for corrective work; residents were told the city would continue follow‑up and likely return to the commission with more detailed options for remediation and potential financial responsibility.