Heavy Rains, Growing Sinkhole Causes Problems For Rostraver Towing Company
ROSTRAVER (KDKA) -- Heavy rains and a growing sinkhole have caused enormous problems for a Rostraver Township business.
Employees couldn't get to work today because the road leading to the company was flooded again.
T.W. Scott Enterprises, does among other things, emergency towing for the state and local police.
The township and business say one problem is compounding the other. The sinkhole is adjacent to a gas station on Route 51.
It's ten feet wide and about twenty feet across, and is causing its own safety concerns and contributing to the flooding on old State Route 51, now a township road named Sylvan Drive.
At the mouth of the flooding is T.W.Scott Enterprises.
Their employees can't get to work and considering they are an emergency towing business that services the state and local police, the owner says it's a real problem.
"We tow accidents, we're a 24-hour emergency service. We tow for West Newton also," said T.W.Scott Enterprises office manager Debbie Bobin.
But after more heavy rains and flooding, there is no towing at all right now at T.W. Scott Enterprises in Rostraver.
The entrance is blocked to the company that provides emergency towing to the general public as well. It's also a collision, battery and custom motorcycle shop.
The water has been inside a lot lately.
"In the last two weeks, we've been out of business six days," Bobin said.
"I feel horrible absolutely horrible. We can not access our business, we cannot take care of our customers," said Thomas Scott, President and Owner of T.W. Scott Enterprises.
Making the matters worse, Scott says is an enormous crater sized sinkhole close to their business and a gas station that's been getting worse they say, for eight years.
"It's probably about five feet from their tanks, their underground tanks," said Bobin.
Underground drainage issues have created a huge problem.
A civil dispute between two businesses here and water that rises to the fence line of six feet outside the towing business are all creating a safety hazard and economic hardship.
"If anyone drives down here and goes in that water not realizing how deep it is there could be some really serious ramifications if a child goes down here playing," Bobin said.
"It's very hard to make payroll, but we care about our employees and they need to pay their bills too," said Scott.
Thomas Scott says he wants someone to care about them as well.
The company puts a blessing box out front for anyone in need to take food items out, as it sits floating in the water, the emergency service towing business remains out of service.
The sinkhole and the flooding, according to the township, can be traced to the collapse of a drainage pipe.
The township manager says until two businesses resolve a civil issue of where the collapsed pipe sits, the water and sinkhole will continue to grow, especially when it rains.
The Westmoreland Conservation District has issued notices of violation to those companies, that could lead to fines from the DEP. All parties say they would also like help from PennDOT.