It's been 11 years since Dianne Swain and her neighbors started petitioning the county for help on 59th Ave. North in St Petersburg.
- The residents of 59th Ave. N. in St. Pete aren't happy
- They say county needs to clean up poor street conditions
- Trail behind community is also presenting a drainage problem
The road is littered with patches, created by county maintenance vehicles, which make for a rough driving surface. There are no curbs, no sidewalks and no lights. During heavy rains, water fails to drain properly, creating muck on the sides of the road.
And, Swan says, as if that weren't enough, it's very narrow.
"I took a tape measure and I've measured about ten areas and I come up with 15.4 [feet] being the narrowest and the widest being 17.3 9 [feet]."
According to Swan, the county standard for residential streets like hers is 20 feet.
As cars approach, each must be cautious not to clip the other while trying to stay on the road.
The county has recently added repaving of 59th Street North and the addition of a sidewalk to a plan for nearby 100th Way North. That project will begin by the end of October.
Next on the neighborhood's list is an issue with standing water along the Pinellas Trail.
The trail crosses Seminole Trail one block from 59th Ave. North and, according the Wil Pena, the retention creek on the north side of the trail does not drain. Pena's property backs up to the Pinellas Trail.
"They need to clean it up," said Pena. "Clean all that mud out. Clean all that wild grass that's growing there and then pour cement in order for the water to just really get through and go where it needs to go."
Our reporters have informed the Pinellas County Parks Department of the issue.