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Residents raise long-running drainage, derelict-property and street-trash concerns during public forum
Summary
Two residents told the Vienna City Council that chronic stormwater problems and an apparent derelict house remain unresolved; one resident said he paid $24,000 for private drainage work and that a neighbor will bring video evidence to the Aug. 13 meeting.
Henry Sassen, a Vienna resident who spoke during the public forum, said a cement-block house near 55th Street has sat without work for a year and asked whether the city can compel the owner to address the property or whether the city might abate and place a lien.
Sassen also relayed a separate drainage complaint from a neighbor, Paula McHenry, who “has water in my basement every time we have a rain,” he said. “I got Jeremy Wyatt to work with the city and had industrial drains put in my yard. It cost me $24,000,” Sassen said, and he reported city drains may be undersized to carry runoff from higher ground. Sassen said McHenry will appear at the Aug. 13 meeting with video of the drain in her yard.
Melvin Turner told the council flooding remains an unresolved problem in his neighborhood and raised related street‑maintenance concerns, saying standing water carries trash into streets and that unlicensed parked vehicles are proliferating. “If we need to hire more people to get the job done, that’s what we need to do,” Turner said.
Council members acknowledged the complaints and staff indicated follow‑up: staff said they had forwarded McHenry’s video and photos to the mayor’s office and will continue an internal review. No formal action was taken at this meeting; residents were directed to return with further documentation at the Aug. 13 meeting.
