The CEO of the company that installed a new water line and repaved Mount Vernon Road says the city of Dunwoody is responsible for fixing ongoing problems with the road surface.
Alessandro Salvo, CEO of GS Construction, said the city is “making threats” of a lawsuit against his company. But he contends the city is responsible for making the repairs. He said the city and DeKalb County told him to fill the trench dug for the water main with loose rock rather than solid dirt. That loose rock offers a movable foundation for the road to sit on, Salvo said, which results in the buckling.
“One or two city attorneys are making absurd statements … and making threats of a lawsuit,” he said. “I told them plain as day it is their responsibility to fix the road. I don’t want to fix a mistake they made.”
Salvo went on to say the city’s threats of legal action are a “waste of taxpayer money.”
“This is a great case study in stupidity,” Salvo said.
Public Works Director Michael Smith said recently the city was forced last month to make the temporary repairs to about a 150-foot section of Mount Vernon Road after buckling and sinking of the road posed a potential hazard to motorists. He also said the city believes GS Construction should pay for the repairs because the damage was discovered within the one-year warranty period.
Salvo said Smith’s statements are also “absurd.”
“This is a waste of time and money” for the city, Salvo said. “They can threaten all they want but I will not fix their mistake.”
Smith and the city continue to pursue a legal route to have GS Construction make the repairs. No lawsuit has yet been filed.