Middle Village Neighbors: Frozen Hydrant Left Sidewalks Icy, Dangerous For Days
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Ice has become a major issue in the Queens neighborhood of Middle Village, where a fire hydrant has been leaking for days – creating a possible danger zone.
But as CBS2's Steve Langford reported, on-the-scene reporting by CBS2 News seems to have thawed out the slow response to the issue.
For days, the leaky fire hydrant on 73rd Place in Middle Village has delivered an unrelenting flow of frigid water. Local residents said the water has spread all the way down the block, turning much of the sidewalk into a treacherous slab of ice.
Area resident Adam Hyman and his helpful 7-year-old daughter have been trying to clear the ice in front of their home several times a day.
"Unfortunately, I was told I'm responsible to keep my sidewalk clear, even though it's the city's water," Hyman said.
But the city's response has been like a glacier, according to people CBS2 spoke to.
"We've all called. All the neighbors have called. The businesses on the corner have called," Hyman said.
"If they don't do something, the whole street is going to be ice," another man said.
And frustration was turning to alarm late Saturday, as a deep freeze was set to hit new lows in New York City Sunday night into Monday.
"Something has to be done. I don't know what they are doing," a man said.
"Someone could slip and break their head or something," another man said.
As for concerns that the hydrant won't work if there's a fire, an FDNY source said fire crews have redundancy plans in place for any emergency.
And late Saturday afternoon, city workers finally responded – turning off the water and promising repairs, according to local residents. They hoped the city's move would mean the end of a leaky hydrant that created a rink no one wanted.
