The pictures on this page will take several
minutes to load. There are 32 of them. Please be patient. The pictures will tell the story of an incident that
will be of interest to you.
To give you some background, this incident
unfolded on Tuesday, August 2, 2005, about 12:30 p.m. I went to the park to investigate where the sewage might be
going to from the Zoo's sewage pumping station. After looking around the Zoo area, I found a 2" black plastic pipe that
ran up the bank at the left side of the zoo. I followed it up the bank where it made a large loop at the top of
the hill, but inside the Zoo fence, and then it entered the ground, going under the fence and directly into
the grove area.
I was focusing my camera to take
a picture of the large loop and happened to take a step or two backward and that's when I heard a "squish". I looked down
and I was standing in a very soggy spot. I said to myself, "This better not be what I think it is." After
checking closely, the soggy spot turned into a large soggy area that ran parallel with the Zoo's fence and eventually
stopped at the base of a tree, about 35' downslope, that is located near a path behind the Zoo. Then, I noticed
that this particular area was much greener than the dried out and brown grass all around it. Naturally, my suspicions grew,
but it was looking like the raw sewage was somehow leeching out just under the surface of this green grassy area.
I found an accumulation of water near the tree,
blackish in color, suspected it to be sewage, so I left to get a water sample jar. I was gone about twenty minutes.
When I got back, the accumulation had saturated into the ground, so I went back up to the top of the greener area of grass
looking for another accumulation to get a small sample.
As I searching, hoping to spot even
a small water sample, I experienced something I had never experienced before. The ground right in front of me was beginning
to move, as if something were alive under it trying to get out. I thought I was seeing things. But, it continued to move and
actually began to take a large oval-like shape, rising higher and higher until it was nearly 18" high and about 3' x
7' in size.
Amazed, I bent down to prod into it
with my hand and all of a sudden, it started to spurt little gushers of foul smelling water all over the place. I took several
pictures of the spurting areas and got a good sample for lab testing. I took the sample to a lab and returned
later with my wife, Joanne, and a friend, Stan Narsavage, and a shovel. When we got there, the large hump had receded
substantially. Apparently, when the sewage pump pushed the sewage, that put pressure on this spot and caused it to fill up
and rise up. When the pump stopped, the humpr would recede. At any rate, the area was still a very mucky and smelly
swamp. My intention was to investigate the cause of the hump, thinking it was some kind of like a rubber bladder-type
contraption with holes in it that would accept the sewage and then allow it to slowly distribute it through the holes.
I stepped on it when it was at its fullest and the spurts increased significantly from my weight. I also wanted a picture
of what was just under the ground before the city appeared to scoop it up, get rid of it and then deny that it ever existed.
There was no question plenty of people involved with park maintenance knew what was happening here.
I stuck the shovel into the
ground looking for what I really thought was a rubber bladder-type contraption, but there was nothing like that under there.
The reason why the ground was rising up and down with the pressure of the pumping station was that a mesh was put down when
the area was reseeded by the landscaper, which held the ground together. A minute after sticking the shovel into the
ground the pump must have kicked on and another strong flow began to move the ground. I moved to the other side of the humped
area to open that up and at that time, the ground began to rise again. I was happy that Stan and my wife were able to witness
it because it was a hard story to sell over the phone when I first discovered it. At any rate, I plunged the shovel into
the lower side and the slimy, smelly substance just flew out of the ground, as you will see in the pictures below.
Did the sewer line end right there? Was
the pipe broken, perhaps due to frost? Did it run into the sewer system somewhere? I don't know. I didn't prod
any further, the rest was up to the SSA and the D.E.P., who I contacted immediately.
This is what I do believe. The line had been
there for many years. It froze in the Winter, (how could it not, being fully exposed and just below ground surface where it
was underground) so the Zoo couldn't be used in the Winter, yet it was open this past Winter. I know that the City Engineer
knew about the line before the zoo was reopened. Bill Fiorini and Bob Scopeletti knew about the line, too. The Plumbing Inspector
knew about the line, too. And, the Mayor, the Director of Parks and the Director of Public Works knew about the line. They
all knew that the line below the zoo and this line above the zoo had frozen and burst or was poorly installed originally.
They all knew the lines weren't fixed, and leaked raw sewage onto the surface where the public walked. They all knew that
raw sewage would run free somewhere on the Nay Aug property while Ms. Miller used the facility for nearly two years and the
public visited, and did nothing about it.
If you're going to run for re-election
and brag to the public through signs, billboards and commercials that you've restored the park, you better have started
with ensuring that the park users were fully protected from the flow of raw sewage and a deadly bacteria known as
e-coli. The mayor didn't do that, but he had the opportunity.
Before the Scranton Times wrongfully prints
another manipulative Letter to the Editor from a Doherty crony bestowing adulation upon him for "Restoring the Pride"
and "Restoring the Park", it better consider the truth about conditions at the parks, because the truth will always catch
up to a liar. It's just a matter of time.
Not only did Mayor Doherty completely
fail to fulfill his obligations and duties to the taxpayers and residents to provide a safe park, he repeatedly lied
to everyone that he had restored the park. In truth, it is a wreck! Look at the other pictures on this site.
He knowingly and intentionally deceived every one of us; Moms, Dads and kids had their health put a serious risk. E-coli is
nothing to recklessly fool with.
Unsuspecting residents walked in raw sewage
on the Davis Trail for nearly two years, unaware of its extremely serious health dangers. It also flowed into Roaring Brook.
Now, we find out that raw sewage had been pushing its way through the surface of the ground behind the zoo
and onto the grove and path area, as well.
Bob Scopeletti, Director of Parks;
Bill Fiorini, Director of Inspections and John Havrilko, the Plumbing Inspector should be fired immediately. Of course, they
can't be. They know too much. And, the mayor? He can't be fired, at least not until November 8th, 2005. And, with him,
they all go.
Mayor Doherty and his staff
knowinly exposed hundreds, if not thousands, of small kids to e-coli bacteria. He also disrespectfully gave the
"one-finger" salute to the soldiers when they returned from Iraq. He's an enthical, immoral and despicable politician; and
an unethical and immoral man. His punishment is clear and justified. There is no choice. Only we, the people,
vote by vote, can punish him for these gravely serious acts of administrative, ethical and moral misconduct.
THESE PICTURES ILLUSTRATE AND
SUPPORT WHAT I'VE EXPLAINED TO YOU, ONE BY ONE, AND IN ORDER, SO THAT YOU CAN GET A SENSE OF WHAT OCCURRED AT THE PARK
ON THAT DAY. BY CLICKING ON A PICTURE , IT WILL ENLARGE FOR YOU.
 Left side of Zoo)
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 .....and then this began............)
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 Then, all of a sudden, the pump must have....)
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 following the black pipe up bank)
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 Like a scene in a horror movie....)
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 And a little more to the right...)
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 At this point, the hump started to rise......)
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 And at the same time....)
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 Stan Narsavage and I started talking.....)
 It didn't take much............)
 You know the old saying...................)
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 There's a new sign in town, and..............)