By Michael Howell
Something smells so bad, on occasion, in the north Hamilton area around Tammany Square and the surrounding area, that property owners and businesses located there have brought the matter up to the Hamilton City Council. In a letter signed by several of them they state that the odor smells like sewer fumes but they have been unable to get the City sewer department to do anything about it.
Michael Wenger, owner of a building at Tammany Square, who presented the letter to the council, said that sewer department officials had been out a few times and said it was a problem in his building. He said that over the course of two years he spent $5,000 investigating his building. He hired three plumbers and had cameras pushed through his system looking for defects but found nothing. Then he heard about problems elsewhere and started asking around.
“It’s not my problem,” he said. “There is something backing up in all of these other buildings as well.”
“I’ve come tonight to ask you how you can help us with this problem. The sewer department doesn’t want to do anything. What can we do? We are asking you to help us.”
Wenger said that he his building was for sale but he couldn’t sell it like this.
“You have to declare everything wrong with a building when you sell it,” said Wenger. “It ain’t going to happen.”
He said that his tenants were losing business, especially in their restaurants, “but the health of the people is the main thing.” He said employees were going home due to the overwhelming smell. He said methane gas was a serious health concern.
“Before someone gets sick or dies, we are coming to you for help,” he said. “What can you do for us? That’s what we want to know.”
“We will take it under advisement,” said Mayor Jerry Steele. “We can’t take any action tonight, but we will get to the bottom of it.”
“That’s all we ask,” said Wenger, “and the sooner the better.”