Did Lansford Borough's road work cause rainwater to damage the property of a local business?

A suit being heard in Carbon County Court alleges just that.A civil trial got underway Tuesday in the case brought against the borough by Jesse Hiles.Hiles, who owns the Sports Zoo/Halftime Sports Bar, has sued the borough, alleging that their work caused an ongoing stormwater issue on his property, starting back in 1994.Judge Steven R. Serfass heard Tuesday from the plaintiff, Hiles; his brother, David; and former councilman Leonard Kovach. He called for a recess before the borough presents its case.Jesse Hiles testified that a sewer project back then permanently changed the shape of the road surface, causing rainwater to wash away parts of his property ever since."Once they crowned it, it ran a lot of water onto my property, causing a lot of damage," Hiles said.He is seeking in excess of $50,000 damages from the borough. That includes the cost of correcting the problem, as well as damages incurred by the business over the past 20-plus years to address the problem.The Sports Zoo is located on the west end of Ridge Street in the borough.Hiles testified that rainwater coming off Ridge and Cortright streets washes across his property, carving trenches of more than a foot deep.Kovach, a resident of West Ridge Street, testified that he saw a manhole cover pop off near Hiles' property because of the stormwater.The damage made unusable a portion of the property he uses for parking and an annual concert known as Zoostock."That's a parking lot for my business. Obviously you can't drive over those ditches, so it's worthless. There's no parking there," he said.Under cross-examination from borough solicitor Michael Greek, Hiles admitted the bar has never lost business because of the issue.After the sewer work that occurred in the '90s, Hiles testified, there was water washing into his bar and an adjacent garage. With the help of his brother David, a contractor and partner in the Sports Zoo, they raised the floor of their garage and replaced tile and a door in the bar.The borough also did work to correct the problem. They hired someone to put in curbing and storm drains to keep the water away.Jesse Hiles said that the borough's work was great at keeping the water away from his building, but said that over the years, when he would see council members around town and at his bar, he'd mention the problem."I was getting the same old phrase, 'we'll fix it when the money is available.' Eventually I made an official complaint because nothing was done," Hiles testified.David Hilestestified that he has done significant work to counter the effects of the stormwater. After a big storm, which he said occurs about three times a year, he has to fill in the ditches caused by the stormwater. That work, as well as the work on Hiles' building, make up a large amount of the $50,000-plus that Hiles is seeking from the borough."We didn't want any remuneration for the loss, we just wanted the water problem fixed. We just didn't think that it would take 22 years," David Hiles said.Judge Serfass called for a recess after Hiles' attorney presented his case. The trial will resume with testimony from the borough's witnesses on Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 3.