HOUSTON – A man who says he’s been trying for weeks now to get CenterPoint crews to fix a sidewalk they tore up, and remove the debris they left behind, finally has some answers.
Hector Esparza says the construction project not only left an eyesore but has also made it more difficult for him to move around the property.
His home on Churchill Street in the Northside Village is where the 82-year-old’s heart has been for 53 years.
”It’s been wonderful. I have no complaints,” Esparza said. “It was my wife’s decision to move over here. She loved this house, she loved the area.”
Having been widowed for four years now, it’s the sweet memories driving his plans to stay here for the rest of his life.
”It’s just a perfect way to end out the years you got left, you know?” he said.
But last month he says a CenterPoint gas line relocation project left him with a big problem.
”I had a stone over here that I was always tripping over, and I asked them if they could please remove it and put it over there. I guess when they were doing that, they must’ve cracked the other ones,” Esparza said.
Esparza says instead of the crew removing just the part of the sidewalk that had buckled over a tree root, they removed the entire sidewalk, leaving the area completely unwalkable. And on top of that, they left a huge pile of broken concrete directly in front of his house.
What was once a short walk to his SUV has now become an arduous task for the Vietnam veteran, which requires him to use the sidewalk in front of his neighbor’s house and then walk in the street to get to his vehicle.
KPRC 2 reached out to CenterPoint and a spokesperson got back to us immediately. About ten minutes later, a CenterPoint official arrived with news Esparza says he had been hoping to hear for weeks.
Now CenterPoint promising to remove the debris and begin fixing the situation starting tomorrow.
“It sounds like a miracle, really because everybody seemed to ignore me when I try to call, you know they didn’t follow through like they had promised, you know. It’s wonderful. I really appreciate your help Mr. Clarke,” Esparza said.