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I must agree with the previous poster: it is NOT true in all cities. I was AMAZED when I moved to Jersey City and saw a cop standing over every hole...sometimes 2 cops. I suppose the second cop is to keep the first one from getting bored while doing nothing for a whole shift.

My fave is to watch a cop tell people they can cross...whenever the light turns red and traffic stops.

And the cops at BJ's chatting with the hole-puncher is always fun.

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Ah, no, it's not. It's an East Coast corrupt political machine thing. But being a new-comer, it doesn't infuriate me, it intrigues me. I feel like I'm living on the set of a History Channel show about Frank Hague.

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Well this sounds like a more unfair situation than the Jersey Journal story. If the city actually caused the damage when it did the paving, shouldn't they have to fix the pipe? If I cause damage to someone's property (unintentionally or intentionally), I would be sued and would likely have to pay damages. Seems pretty unfair that you have to bear all the costs of damages that the city caused.

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Since you did mention insurance, is it possible to insure oneself against something like this?

This happened to me a few years ago.

The city fixed the street and did some sewer maintenance. The plumber said that during the paving, my sewer line was damaged.

After the runaround for 2 months, I paid 7000 dollars to rip up a newly paved street to repair my sewer line.

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Thank the insurance companies for the over stated liability that arises every time someone says boo.

In new york there isn't enough cops to be hired out. They use signage and direct people across the street or to another street. Caution tape , barriers, and signs are enough. You don't need a cop to let people know not to fall into a hole. Also the NY DOT sometimes require a flagman..I rather see a local JC resident make the 35 dollars an hour as a flagman! But that's not going to happen, unless there is enough noise about this.

Isn't that true in all cities? Otherwise if someone falls into a hole on city property then the city gets sued.

Now making you pay cash seems, well criminal...

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I am so glad that finally the newspaper publishes the ridiculous fact the police have to be paid to stand on a residential street everytime a contractor has to open up the street.
Any of you know that at times the owner or contractor is made ot pay 2 cops instead of one?? yes...
Also they want CASH not check ..the cash goes straight into their uniform pocket.
The JC administration has to put an end to this. The police should be doing their job and its shouldn't be harassing homeowners and contractors. They should be harassing the hoodlums roaming the streets at night.

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Yes, but in many areas United Water has a deal with a company which will let the home owner pay a small fee per month to insure either their sewer line and/or their water supply line by third company - perhaps there are no third party takers for our old systems - but the city should see if they can push United Water to make something like this available here. No harm in asking!

The only part that surprises me is that she has to pay for the water meter. I thought the meters were the property of United Water. They came around 4 or 5 years ago and replaced mine free as part of a citywide upgrade.

I'm not sure what the fuss is here. Isn't it standard everywhere that the city is responsible for the mains and the homeowner is responsible for the service line from the main to the house? When I bought my house, one of the first things the inspector noted was that the lead service pipe would have to be replaced. It's finally going to be done this year (at a total cost above $5k, by the way) so will the Jersey Journal be interviewing me too?

About the only thing I think is stupid is the cop requirement. If it's a big job and/or they have to cut straight across the street, fine. But for a standard house job where the house is on the same side of the street as the water main, it seems unnecessary.

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Let them find out for themselves. If potential home owners are stupid enough not to find out for themselves what responsibilities are in store for them then let them sleep in the bed they made for their night's sleep. This system has worked for over 50 years well at least back then the pipes were 50 years younger. The city knew to what $$ amount this would lead to. If the voters in J.C. are opposed to this then a vote should take place.

Someone should take this story along with the one about the German guy who got arrested over the light rail ticket and publish a book of these stories. No re-write or anything; just a compilation of these stories in the form they're published in.

Give copies out to people going into and out of real estate offices, open-houses, etc.

Maybe a cover design that looks like Ripley's but is:

Healy's believe it or not!!!

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Because you live in Jersey City and Jersey City cops think they are entitled to more than one salary!

Hey, when Bret Schundler sold the Jersey City water supply to American Water Company, he sold the pipes too. Welcome to the consequences of having a crooked mayor.

Pipe under city's street, but repair bill is all hers

Thursday, September 25, 2008
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Justina Smith, 78, has lived in her house on Morton Place in Jersey City for almost 40 years. The lead pipe that carried water to the three-story home had probably been there even longer.

But when it broke recently, it left Smith and her granddaughter, Lisa Joseph, facing a repair bill of over $5,000 - even though they didn't cause the leak and it's under a city street.

That's because the city's water system rules, which date to the 1950s, put the burden of fixing transmission lines - as opposed to water mains - squarely on property owners.

Joseph, 34, who also lives in the house along with her brother and uncle, called United Water last Wednesday because they had low water pressure. A company employee came to the house Friday, determined there was a leak and said a crew would come to fix it Monday.

Instead, Joseph said, United Water workers showed up Saturday night, dug up the street and shut off their water, telling her she would have to hire a plumber to dig down at least 4 feet and install a new copper pipe.

"They only rang the bell after they dug up everything," she said. "The least they could have done is make it a little easier on us."

City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said the water had to be shut off to prevent a sinkhole from forming.

But that's meant the family has had to draw water from a neighbor's hose and carry it up from the basement to wash dishes, bathe and flush toilets while the plumber they hired, A-Absolute Construction of Roselle, collects the necessary city permits to do the $4,500 replacement.

The Building Department would not issue the permits until the family paid the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority $422 for a new connection, and the work was delayed again when the department did not have any inspectors available on Tuesday, Joseph said.

She will also have to pay $35 an hour for an off-duty cop to direct traffic, and $126 for a new water meter.

"I find it amazing that it's our responsibility to replace these things at such a high cost," Joseph said. "In addition, I feel the city is unreasonable with all these extra costs we have to pay out of pocket."

Smith added: "I'm paying my taxes. Why should I have to pay for a policeman to stand up over there? It's a stress on me."

The work is expected to start today and be completed by tomorrow.