Dust settling over Pinner Street
Published 12:00 am Sunday, June 26, 2005
The foliage outside Beverley Brown’s Pinner Street house has turned light brown.
Before driving her car every morning, she’s got to wipe off the windshield, headlights, taillights and other part of the vehicle (&uot;It’s like sitting in a tomb,&uot; she said).
Every time she steps outside, she has to clean her glasses every few minutes.
That’s how it’s been for most local residents since construction began recently on the street. After some pipes collapsed in a house across the street from Brown’s, she said, heavy equipment shows up all day, working to divert water from a ravine under the house.
&uot;We should be done in about two weeks,&uot; Blair Brothers construction foreman Melvin Drewery said Friday, watching a dump truck fill a huge hole in the street.
To fix the problem, Drewery said, he and his crew will have to dig through the house’s phone, gas, water and sewage utilities. &uot;It could be sooner if everything goes out way.&uot;
For Brown, who has lived on Pinner for 11 years, and her neighbors, it can’t come soon enough.
&uot;The other night, you’d have thought there was a heavy fog out, but it was just dust,&uot; she said.
&uot;I thought about calling the fire department and asking if they could come hose down my house. This is like living in the bottom of a volcano.&uot;
She said that the construction crew has helped wash off the dust, and that several locals have discussed getting their house pressure-washed when the job is finished.
&uot;The dust on your car doesn’t blow off when you drive down the road,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s like it’s glued on. This past Sunday, I couldn’t breathe. God forbid if anyone around here has asthma. The air conditioning’s nice, but we can’t open the windows in our home.&uot;
Construction’s not the only problem on Pinner, she continued.
&uot;It would be nice to keep traffic off here,&uot; Brown said.
&uot;Cars go through here at tremendous speed. When Constance was closed (in February and March), it brought even more people through here.
&uot;Everybody knows it’s an easy way to get to Carolina Road, and they take it.&uot;
Brown added that at the Suffolk Day School up the street from her, parents and children have nearly been hit on several occasions.
&uot;I’m not blaming the city,&uot; Brown said.
&uot;I’m not blaming anybody. It’s not anyone’s fault, but I don’t think anybody knows what we’re going through.&uot;
jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com