Dear editor:
For months now there has been the smell of natural gas on our property and of those living near us. Every morning as I walk to my vehicle to go to work, the odor seems to get worse with each passing day.
After numerous calls to CenterPoint Energy, a technician was on our property on Tuesday, May 19. After leaving our neighbors on the right, the tech had parked at our neighbor's house across the street in search of the leak. My husband met the tech in our yard. He asked if we knew that we had a gas leak. My husband informed the tech that we have not had natural gas service in 15 years. At this point, the tech started measuring the gas leak in certain areas on our property. The area between the oak tree and the peach tree in our front yard measured 94.8. The tech remarked that we shouldn't do any burning on our property and that even though it was late in the day, someone should be out to repair the leak because of its severity.
As I walked out to get the daily Sentinel-Record from my driveway on Friday morning, May 22, I was overwhelmed with the odor of the gas leak. The further I walked down our property line, the worse the odor became. On Fridays, I baby-sit two of my young grandchildren, Kade the Warrior Prince and ZoZo. As I walked back to the house, all I could think of is someone tossing a cigarette into the area of the gas leak, putting not only me and my husband in danger, but also the precious lives of all five of our grandchildren, who are at our house at any given time. I think any grandparent can relate to my quandary. Children in danger, Gigi to the rescue! As Gigi, safety is paramount.
I went to http://www.yellowpages.com for the number of the local CenterPoint office. There was only an 800 number listed. I called, only to be told that this department could not help me. This department did give me another number to call. Gigi once again calls. Of course, this department could not help me either; however, the gentleman, after I insisted that this situation was a disaster waiting to happen, took my name and number, and said that he would get to the department that could help on this situation and call me back with the status on the repair of this leak. The logical San Rostan was relieved, thinking that the wheels were rolling and the danger would be removed. The emotional mother hen, Gigi Rostan was skeptical and since it is now Saturday evening, May 23, rightly so.
I have not received any correspondence from CenterPoint on the status of repair. There are no marks on the grass or asphalt marking the line going onto our property, leading me to believe that there has been no effort at all to rectify this situation. The beginning of this millennium, the year 2000, is the last time that there was natural gas service to our property. CenterPoint, not only are we having headaches on a daily basis, the grass in this area is dead, the smell is horrible and the danger is extreme! For not only our sake, but also those of our surrounding neighbors, repair this leak on Fox Pass Cutoff.
Randy and San Rostan
Hot Springs
Editorial on 05/27/2015