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Palm Bay man patches pothole-covered street himself

Another neighbor building bigger petition to repave roads

PALM BAY, Fla. – A southeast Palm Bay resident is done waiting for the city's public works department to repave his street and is patching potholes himself.

In the latest News 6 report toward getting results for neighbors fed up with pothole-covered streets, reporter James Sparvero discovered on Friday that resident Scott Monroe was pouring concrete he mixed himself over a pothole outside his home.

"I'm not sure if I should be using concrete but anything makes it better than it was," Monroe said. "It is sad that it comes down to our responsibility." 

Monroe's street, as News 6 has exposed in previous reports, is like dozens of others covered in potholes in the south parts of the city.

Monroe's neighbor and Operation Desert Storm veteran Doug Latford showed News 6 even more roads in poor condition Friday.

"I have to take it easy on these roads to take it easy on me," the disabled veteran said. "I like to refer to these potholes as IEDs, 'intermitten eroded divots,' that you have to avoid in the road."

Latford said that SE Palm Bay roads are even worse than what he's seen in his military travels in the Middle East.

"You're talking about a third-world country and they're generally paths or dirt roads and they're still maintained better than this," he said talking about Halkett Street, which is a dirt road containing asphalt patches.

A neighborhood movement demanding roads be repaved is underway.

Paul Basham first spoke to News 6 Tuesday, then again, Thursday before speaking to leaders at the evening's city council meeting.

"You get the same thing. They sit there like stumps," Basham said of his disappointment not receiving answers about why the roads are not being repaved.

Basham presented a petition to the City Council signed by 66 neighbors demanding roads begin to be repaved.

The city's public works department told News 6 Tuesday most of the streets have not been repaved since they were built in the '60s, '70s and '80s.

City councilman Tres Holton said Friday he sides with Basham and neighbors deserve better.

He said in a statement in-part, "The residents deserve to finally have their roads and drainage repaired."

Basham said he's building a bigger petition, ready to get results starting at the next City Council meeting in two weeks.

"We ain't quitting. What we want to do at the next meeting is get more people and go with me and speak," Basham said. "This road's been like this 20 years. I ain't waiting another 20 years. I won't be here in another 20 years."

Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for continuing coverage.
 


About the Author
James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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