It took months and some help from NY1, but a Queens homeowner says the city is no longer ignoring his complaints about a contractor who damaged his property. NY1's Ruschell Boone filed the following report.
Frank Harnisher is finally getting answers from the city's Department of Design and Construction and a city contractor about repairing his fence, rock barrier, shed and pool after a road construction project in Broad Channel damaged or altered them.
"The day after I was on television, people started talking to me, and now we have a dialogue going," Harnisher said.
Workers for the contractor were supposed to do that after the job ended in October.
"This area that we are looking at right here came out this way more this way," Harnisher said. "There was a lot of gardening and stuff in here, and a rock bulkhead was out this way a lot more."
The contractor, EIC Associates, said it was told to leave to make room for Build it Back construction and couldn't go back.
Harnisher spent months trying to get the city to fix his property, but instead, he said he got the runaround. That all changed after the 78-year-old reached out to NY1 and we reported on the problem last week. City representatives and EIC have had several meetings since then. The city says repairs will begin next week.
"They have a plan that they are going to put things together with DDC from the city, and they are overseeing it, and they are going to put additional rocks, bring the levels up and address some of these issues," Harnisher said.
Harnisher allowed the city to use his property after they gave him a written promise to return it to its original condition. Initially, the city told us Harnisher would have to go through his insurance company to recover the thousands of dollars in pool repair costs. But since our report, he's reached a comprise with EIC.
"Thank God, speaking to you folks," Harnisher said. "I was frustrated since the middle of April."
Harnisher says he hasn't gotten a date yet as to when the actual construction will start, but he's happy things are finally moving along. He'll be even happier once the job is done.