Sinkhole formed in January causes problems for church on Detroit's west side

Bethlehem-Judah Church has sinkhole in back driveway

DETROIT – A church in Detroit has been waiting for the city to repair a sinkhole in its driveway, and now, the sinkhole has turned into a safety concern.

The Bethlehem-Judah Church in Detroit has inherited a problem, and it's a big problem: A gaping hole in its back driveway. It has caused a major inconvenience.

"It's very frustrating because we all have been city residents at one time, and we grew up, so we are invested in the city," Tamara Howard said. "So to not get help from the city is frustrating."

Howard said the hole formed in January and has become a trash pit.

"The city hasn't done anything except come out and give us a sign," Howard said. "Now Waste Management can't come get our dumpster to get the trash out of the way."

Waste Management can't drive down the driveway to get the bin, so the church is paying for a service they aren't getting.

"We pay Waste Management each month just to make sure our contract is in good standing," Howard said.

Howard has grown tired of calling the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, so she hopes city officials will decide to fix the problem.

"I think if we were closer to the metropolis, like Midtown or Downtown, we might be getting more assistance," Howard said. "This is a forgotten ZIP code, so I think we are being overlooked."

DWSD released the following statement:

"DWSD appreciates the church and WDIV for alerting the water department. We have dispatched a crew to the site this afternoon. We will update the church officials on this repair. DWSD is implementing enhancements to customer service and system maintenance to address these issues. We invite Detroit residents, businesses, places of worship and other organizations in our city to partner with us to identify water and sewer assets that need to be repaired as we work together to improve our water and sewer infrastructure. Use the Improve Detroit mobile app or call 313-267-8000 to report."


About the Authors:

Koco joined the Local 4 News team in September of 2016. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit, attended Central Michigan University, and previously worked at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.