Grates a good start, but not great
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
They’re not quite finished, but grates have been placed in front of the culverts located on the corner of 1st Street and Main in Underwood, in the front yard of Jerad and Erika Levey’s home, almost bringing to a close the safety issue that has surrounded the city-owned culverts in the recent weeks.
The open culverts have been in place on the property for years, and hadn’t really been an issue for the city until recently when heavy rains flooded several areas in and around Underwood, forcing an influx of water through the culverts and bringing a renewed awareness to the danger of the open culverts that are on the Levey property.
While the open culverts hadn’t been a city-meeting issue, because the Leveys had never brought their concerns to the full commission, they were very much still an issue for the Leveys, who have two young boys – one of whom is really into alligators these days. (And where do alligators live? In culverts, of course.)
What’s been done so far is a good start, said Erika, but she is hoping for a more permanent solution soon. She still doesn’t feel comfortable letting their 4-year-old son play outside in the front yard by himself, and she really doesn’t feel comfortable when his friends come over to play.
"I’m glad that they did something," she said. "Something is better than nothing."
