Minutes - Council - 06/25/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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the side of the roads watching what was going on. She noted that each of the affected homeowners handled the sewer water the best they could. She shared that she and her husband waited to see what the construction company was willing to do to help the situation. She added that they were told not to sleep or eat in the house and to save receipts for all of their expenses. She explained that they contacted a cleaning service to help clean up the property and the construction company rented them a dumpster for garbage and Pods for their belongings they were hoping to salvage. She shared that they had a backyard full of personal belongings that had been in the sewer water. She noted that they received their claim number and were assigned an adjuster on June 11. She explained that with all of the preparations they had made they expected to be back in their home quickly. She added that even though the house had already been cleaned up, it still smelled as bad, if not worse, than when the flood started. She shared that the third-party adjusters were a nightmare and she tried to get away from their involvement; however, she was told they were too far along in the process to part ways with them. She explained that one of her main problems with the adjusters was that they wanted a complete inventory of everything that was in the water, meaning she would have to pick through the fecal coated personal belongings to take an inventory. She shared that they found a bag full of fecal matter in their basement that was left behind by the cleaning crew. She stated her main issue with the adjusters is that they are insisting that the only items to be claimed are the ones that physically touched the water, nothing involving the air. She noted that the adjuster will not even acknowledge anything that was affected by this water evaporating and being carried to other items that did not touch the water. She explained that fecal air has been circulating throughout her house since this incident. She said this whole situation will be very costly to them and they are being encouraged to save their receipts with no guarantee that they will be paid back for these expenses. She stated they are spending over $200 a day just on food and lodging. She emphasized that they did not cause any of this to happen. She asked if Ramsey had been more present at the start of this issue if the situation could potentially be in a better place. She noted that there were posts on the Ramsey Facebook page about the construction of the highway and the smell of sewage in certain areas. She added that her water was shut off for a couple of hours a few days before the incident took place. She noted that all of these things should be under investigation to ensure that they do not happen again. She said the Ramsey gateway project is US Highway 10, US Highway 169, State Highway 47, and County Road 10. She asked with this project encompassing the US Government, the State of Minnesota, Anoka County, and the City of Ramsey, where are they able to get help with this situation so they can get their lives back sooner. She said she is looking for any advice and direction that can be provided. She showed the Council photos of her basement and backyard to show the damage done. Mayor Kuzma apologized to Ms. Tersteeg for the entire situation and how she is currently being treated by the third-party adjuster. He asked City Attorney Knaak how the City can respond to this unacceptable situation. City Attorney Knaak explained that sewer backups are an insurable risk as far as the City is considered. He asked whose insurance company Ms. Tersteeg is dealing with. Ms. Tersteeg noted that it is the insurance company for the construction company. She added that the insurance company has been doing things purposefully out of order. City Council /June 25, 2024 Page 3 of 10