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Panther Hollow Resident Threatens To Plant Tree In Pothole If Crews Don't Patch It

PANTHER HOLLOW (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh resident is threatening to take extreme measures to protect bicyclists from what he considers a dangerous pothole.

A lifelong resident of one of Pittsburgh's original Italian neighborhoods, Panther Hollow, Carlino Giampolo is fed up.

Taking a large broom, he attacked what looked like a large puddle of water in the driving lane of Boundary Street and declared, "There's a pothole."

And what a pothole it is, 4-feet long and 3 to 5 inches deep.

boundary street pothole
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

Giampolo says Boundary has turned into a bicycle obstacle course.

"I'd say in a 150-foot area, there are 35 potholes," he said.

So he called the city's 311 complaint line.

"I first reported the potholes on Boundary Street about 24 days ago," Giampolo said.

He then called back a couple more times to check on the status of the work order only to see nothing done.

Giampolo is worried because the street leads to the bike trail, and he's concerned a rider is going to hit a pothole and go over the handlebars.

"Especially in the evening, it's unsuspecting to the bicyclist and it could cause serious injury," he said.

So Thursday, he fired off an email to Mayor Bill Peduto and all of Pittsburgh City Council saying in part: "Should the repair not be made by end of the day tomorrow, then I will plant a tree in the pothole to alert bicyclists and others of the danger."

Giampolo lives in City Council President Bruce Kraus's district.

"Mr. Giampolo can be colorful, to say the very least," Kraus said.

But Kraus did respond by email saying: "….weather permitting, the pothole will be patched by the COB (close of business) tomorrow."

No public works crew made it to Boundary Street Friday because the sky opened up dumping buckets of rain throughout the city.

Pittsburgh Public Works Director Mike Gable says some divisions are 30 days behind on pothole patching.

"The weather certainly has been a factor. We've had rain since March almost 70% of the time," Gable said.

While Gable says Giampolo's threatening approach is not the way to get the work done, nonetheless, his crews do have a material they can put in a wet pothole, and he's instructed the division to use it on Boundary Street.

"So I would offer that by Monday, we should be able to take care of that," Gable said.

"If not by Monday, then Home Depot will have another sale," Giampolo said.

"Oh I hope he won't, and I'll reach out to Mr. Giampolo and we'll get it done, I promise," Kraus said.

Gable says as soon as they get a string of good weather days, his crews with blitz the city and fill the craters.

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