WEATHERFORD, Okla. (AP) - A city of Weatherford official says the city may become the new owner of a property marred by a massive sinkhole.
The Weatherford City Commission is scheduled to discuss the proposed settlement with the property owner, ZH Enterprises, on Friday. ZH Enterprises filed a damage lawsuit in August, and the city filed a condemnation claim over the now-foreclosed property. The property sits across from City Hall, and officials believe the sinkhole may have been partially caused by a broken drainage pipe.
The Oklahoman (https://bit.ly/1QHouK7 ) reports that City Commissioner Warren Goldmann said officials cannot yet disclose the settlement’s financial details.
Goldmann said the sinkhole is now about 110 feet long and 60 feet wide. It first appeared last spring after record-setting rainfall across Oklahoma. Since then, two more sinkholes have been found on the property, including one underneath an old building.
“There was one room where, you open the door, and the floor drops out from underneath you,” Goldmann said. “The last time anyone has been in there, which was a long time ago, that one was about 15 feet deep. I have no idea how big or deep it is now.”
Goldmann said that the drainage pile that officials believe is partly responsible for the sinkholes was never approved by the city.
“Forty years ago, a property owner decided to develop that property, which was a drainage ditch (at the time), and they put a pipe in the bottom and covered it over. And then eventually, they built on top of it . now, in this day and age, somehow, the citizens get to foot the bill when things go wrong.
The property has been home to two Ford dealerships and was once a trampoline court.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, https://www.newsok.com
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