Potholes are a growing concern all over the Central Coast following this year’s storms, but on one street in Atascadero, the problem is only getting worse.
The frustration is growing for residents who live on Amapoa Street.
“We've all had to deal with the street. Ever since I can remember, and I've been here since 1995, the street has never been worked on," said resident Katrina Modglin.
On Monday morning she woke up to a small palm tree planted right in the middle of one of the potholes on the street.
“When I saw that I thought that was an amazing statement," added Modglin.
“The frustrating part is that Amapoa becomes a highway for commercial businesses that are located on Morro Road. Lots of commercial traffic on this street but the city won't help us," said another resident, Paul Warner.
Paul Warner has taken it upon himself to help the situation by laying down cold-mixed asphalt supplied by the City of Atascadero, but he says that’s not the solution.
“Second time I filled holes this season. You know, we're just putting band-aids out here," explained Warner.
The City of Atascadero told KSBY they are aware of the conditions of the street but that it is not a city-maintained street and that the responsibility lands on the property owners.
That means those who live or have businesses on the street are in charge of maintaining the street collectively.
Warner told KSBY patching the potholes isn’t an easy task but he has the equipment to do it so it makes the job a lot easier. He also added there is a large elderly population on the street who can’t do this type of work outside their homes
The city says they provide free cold-mix asphalt to folks who live on non-maintained city streets. Residents on these non-maintained roads can call public works at (805) 470-3148 to obtain the asphalt.
The tree that was planted has since been removed.
