OMAHA, Neb. (KPTM) - An Historic Dundee neighborhood street is finally getting some much needed attention.
Just a few days ago, Howard St. was filled with potholes, debris- a glaring liability to vehicles going up and down the road.
But as of today, a portion of the road has been slightly repaired- all thanks to Historic Dundee resident Linae Figgins.
“You just come to that point, and you can’t take it anymore, and you’ve tried every angle you can and you’re not getting anywhere,” Figgins said.
Figgins said she is happy about the repair, but it came out of her own pocket, and it wasn't cheap.
She says she wishes it didn't have to come to this.
“This was a problem, she kind of told me what was going on and so, what’s a few extra hours of my time to just help out all of these neighbors out here so they're not just stuck going down one street- they can use this,” said Brandon Retikis, independent contractor tasked with fixing the road.
Figgins has only lived in her home for a year and a half now.
She has again, and again, attempted to find ways to fix Howard St.
The City of Omaha will not touch it, because it's what is considered a substandard street and is no longer serviceable., which leaves that responsibility to the homeowner.
“We estimated, in current dollars, probably four hundred million dollars’ worth of these streets in Omaha,” said City Engineer, Todd Pfitzer.
Figgins was given a few options before committing to doing it herself.
One way was to form a neighborhood committee of some sort, and everyone chips in for the repair- but not all the neighbors were on board, according to Figgins.
Another option was to allow Omaha to reclaim the road but that would mean Figgins would have to add that to her property value.
“You don’t want that on your mortgage, nobody does,” Figgins said.
Half of Howard St. going west is now gravel.
Figgins added that she would like to see the city come and finish the job she started.
“This is a band-aid, I know that," said Figgins. But it’s a band-aid that’ll get us through the winter.”