Business owner: Wilmington needs to pay for water damage

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A downtown Wilmington business owner says he’s having issues with water in his building. They are issues that he says have cost him thousands of dollars. The city of Wilmington is trying to fix it, but is that enough?

The problem started during the Front Street Rejuvenation Project in 2010, and Hunter Ford said it has been a problem ever since. Ford owns the building that houses his business, Momentum Surf and Skate.

After the Front Street refurbishment project was completed, he said he started having problems with water in his building when it rained. Turns out, the pipe, designed to carry water from the roof to storm drains, was never completed. It stopped underneath the concrete.

“There was a complete redo of the streetscape and there was a lot going on and they had to do some temporary things to keep the sidewalk open, and then do some permanent things, and you know, apparently, that one got missed,” said Dylan Lee, a City of Wilmington spokesman.

The city has been out for the past couple days fixing the pipe. Lee said it should be finished by Friday. The cost to fix the pipe is about $1,000. But, Ford said he plans to ask the city to pay for other damages to his building as well.