Northlake Wood-CS050107January 7, 2005
402 Rolling Hills Circle
Coppell, TX 75019
Jim Witt
City Manager
City of Coppell
P.Q Box 9478
Dear Jim Witt,
Following Is the letter we sent to Ken Griffin on Oec. 6, 2(X)4. So far, we have received
no response and t~e destroyed maIBx)x is lying on the ground in front of our house.
repair or replace my I1~ilbox~ is ~lere any way you could AT LEAST haul off the oM
one? We are ve~ pu3:ded at the fact that we recMved no reply fTOm Mr. Griff~.
On October 28, of this year a water main burst and knocked over and broke our bdck mailbox. The
attached letter from TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool indicates that the City of Coppell is immune from
liability for the damage. A phone call to TML indicated that city responsibility only occurs Jn the case of
damage by a motor vehicle. The City has effectively acknowledged responsibility for the damage by
replacing the sod and constructing a temporary mailbox for us.
We drew attention to the water leak problem in the vicinity of the mailbox months before the pipe burst
and we had to pursue the water department to find and eventually patch the leak. Not long after the
cracks were patched, the pipe blew up and caused the damage to our mailbox. We know that the
section of pipe going south on Rolling Hills was replaced a few years ago but the section that
completes the line on our side of Bethel School Road was not replaced. We have been experiencing
problems with leaking in front of our proporty, starting with leakage through the street and then moving
to our sidewalk, for more than a year as you will see if you examine your own records.
In our opinion, the city owes us a replacement for the mailbox that was destroyed by the failure of city-
maintained utilities. It is unclear to us why the City does not carry insurance for damage caused by
malfunctions of City property, such as water mains. What would be your response if the water had
flowed down into our house and caused more extensive damage?
Sincerely,
Kevin L. and ~amela W011er
Cc: City Council and Mayor of Coppell