Homeowner urges Aspen to help after water-main break floods Park Avenue home

David Eisenstaedt told the Aspen City Council on Jan. 7 that a city water main broke late on Dec. 21 or early Dec. 22 and sent roughly 1 foot of water through the lowest level of his Park Avenue home, which he said is about 1,100 square feet. "Our house is uninhabitable," Eisenstaedt said, adding that family mementos, records and furnishings are ruined and many losses are unsalvageable.

Eisenstaedt said he and his wife have been working with a remediation company since the break and that city staff initially told them the city would "stand behind us and make things right." He told the council that, instead, the family received a letter from the city's insurance company denying the loss. "We were repeatedly told that the city would stand behind us," he said, and asked the council to help resolve the situation.

Council members responded with expressions of support and asked staff to gather more information. Mayor Tory and others said the matter should be addressed in executive session next week so the council can review the city's role and any pending actions. Councilors asked staff to prepare information about possible remedies for the family and steps to reduce the risk of similar breaks in the future.

Eisenstaedt said he and his wife are temporarily displaced and relying on friends while remediation continues. The family asked for assurance that the city will cooperate in making them as whole as reasonably possible; council members committed to pursuing additional information and discussion in the executive session the following week.