CINCINNATI — A landslide in April caused a few residents in North Avondale to have to raise money to fix the problem or lose their homes, but the constant rainfall recently has slowed their progress to make the repairs on their properties.
"Every time there's a rainy day we're like, oh dear, how heavy is the rain going to be," Maria McKenzie, a Wess Park Drive resident, said. "We haven't gotten structural damage yet, but I know it's only a matter of time."
Problems began in April after heavy rain caused a hill in the backyard of some homes on Wess Park Drive to start slipping. The slippage was bad enough that one home was condemned by the city.
City officials gave the residents 30 days, the standard amount of time to remediate a code violation, to raise the $326,000 needed to build a retaining wall and fix the issues. The city has since granted the residents an extension, but residents said it's not enough.
"It's not their time that matters," Tim Lane, another Wess Park Drive resident, said. "It's the hill which has the timetable that we have to be concerned with."
"We love our homes, we love our neighborhoods, we don't want to lose our homes," McKenzie said. "We're hoping for the best."
Anyone who wants to contribute to the retaining wall can mail a check made out to Tim Lane or Richard McKenzie, Maria's husband, with the memo line "Wess Park landslide donation" to Park National Bank, 1187 Ohio Pike Amelia, Ohio 45102. Or you can make a donation on their Facebook page.
