Every morning, residents at Golf Ridge Condos in MetroWest walked past a gaping hole in their parking lot, a daily reminder of damage Spectrum caused and promised to fix.
In September of last year, a third-party crew hired by Spectrum was installing cable at the 120-resident community when it struck a water pipe.
Residents watched water gush from the ground, flood the parking lot, and form a makeshift lake on the back lawn. Water service to both buildings was shut off for hours.
“People coming home from work couldn’t fix dinner, couldn’t shower, couldn’t get their children ready for school the next day,” said the Golf Ridge HOA president, who asked not to appear on camera because of her job.
The break left a gaping hole in the lot, taking three parking spaces out of commission.
“We need all of the space we can get,” the HOA president said. “So taking up three parking spaces is a big deal.”
The pipe was repaired, and the hole was filled with dirt, but month after month, the HOA heard nothing about repaving the lot.
“No response from Spectrum. No response about anything,” the HOA president said.
News 6 reached out to the company; Spectrum said in a statement, “Spectrum acknowledged responsibility for the damage and committed to reimbursing the associated repair costs.”
Repairs carried a $28,000 price tag, money the small community didn’t have. Passing the cost to residents through a special assessment was not an option the HOA wanted to consider.
“That could mean gas right now for their vehicles. That could mean books for college tuition or an additional class. On a fixed income, it might just not be there,” the HOA president said.
Frustrated and out of options, the association turned to the News 6 Neighborhood Network for help.
“They didn’t cause it. This isn’t fair. It’s frustrating — it’s very, very frustrating for everybody involved,” she said. “Spectrum, honor your word, please. That’s all we ask.”
Within weeks of News 6 reaching out to the company, the HOA received a $28,000 check. The parking lot has since been repaired.