Cleveland woman fears for safety amid porch repairs

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A woman is worried about the stability of her porch roof as work on the porch itself enters a fifth month. She says the porch, now listing to the side, is a safety hazard.

“The contractor came out, put a toothpick up, basically, on top of a bunch of rocks,” said Viola Bowie. “It was supposed to be completed by October 31, then sometime in November, the last failed date of completion was December 8.”

Bowie says the home is 106 years old, and the roof of the porch was replaced in 2021. But the rest needed repairs.

“I was approved for a new front porch and back porch through the senior assistance program through the city of Cleveland,” said Bowie.

Specifically, the Department of Aging.

Croxton Technology Corp. came in to handle the work.

She says the project end date was constantly moved back, and the support for the roof is insufficient, causing the roof to shift.

She called in the contractors who did the roof of the porch; according to Bowie, the second set of eyes said the roof had sunk a full foot since they left.

Bowie just wants the job to get finished before damage to the house occurs or someone gets hurt.

So she called 19 Troubleshooters.

19 News called the Department of Aging and talked with the director, who says she is going to look in on the project to ensure it progresses.

Bowie says she heard from director Mary McNamara herself, and says she was assured the director is looking into the matter following up on a meeting that Bowie got confirmed for later Wednesday afternoon.

Croxton Technology Corp. also returned a call from 19 News, and while the company says the roof is stable, a visit from their carpenter to check on the roof later Wednesday was also promised.