Good evening,
Yesterday’s IWDD neighborhood meeting reviewed Shari Harrington’s performance. The results are not good. As mentioned prior, approximately 2/3rds of residents reported problems with service. This included no water, inadequate water, flooding, ports being left open, dogs being left out, poor or no communication, etc. Perhaps most worrisome is Shari’s failure to follow through on a clear commitment made (on multiple occasions) to coordinate with Brett before the last run. This commitment was in addition to providing better communication to residents and the IWDD, and closing ports and gates as standard practice. Our system is aging, and we need a diligent caretaker to deliver water, address system issues, and work with our neighborhood to keep water running. Based on feedback, none of these commitments were followed through, and this creates an issue of trust.
In review of this, our neighborhood and the IWDD Board cannot continue to provide additional chances. The Board voted last night to remove Shari as the neighborhood irrigator. We understand that some residents have sent Shari significant cash. Frankly, we are all due a refund. The Board has asked Shari to provide quick refunds. The Board will try to assist as best we can, but it is up to the resident to get refunded.
We have been in discussion with Brett Crowther, who has agreed to continue our service for the remainder of the year. Brett will be sending invoices by next week. We strongly recommend that all residents use Brett to finish the year. SRP has already been notified about the change, so if you do not plan on using Brett, you will need to contact SRP to arrange an alternate service.
Some of you are certainly wondering why Brett left in the first place. One of his issues is neighborhood safety. When I walked the system with Brett, the alleys had homeless present during the day. I can only imagine what the alleys looks like at night. As a neighborhood we should consider ways to improve our safety. As you know the search for a new irrigator is tough and we want a neighborhood that is welcoming to providers. Anyone that is willing to meet about a neighborhood watch or make any other steps to enhance safety, please respond to this email.
In other news, the Board is aware of a new gate repair needed at 42nd street and Avalon, and we are awaiting an estimate. There is also a break on Cheery Lynn, which is outside of our district but still affects our water delivery. We are working with the IWDD up North to get it fixed.
I’m sorry we have all had to deal with this – it certainly hasn’t been fun for us, either. We look forward to things getting back to normal.
Your Neighbors and IWDD Board,
Jeff, Nathan, and Laura