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Brooklyn Tire Shop Owner: City Is Making Me Pay For Sidewalk I Didn’t Break

Louis Gellman Has Been Hit With A $30,000 Bill

 NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)
— A Brooklyn business owner has been forced by the city to cough up $30,000 to have his sidewalk repaired, but he says it is the city’s fault that the sidewalk is broken.

As CBS 2’s Janelle Burrell reported Tuesday, Louis Gellman is the owner of the Hilna Tire Shop in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. His shop sits alongside the elevated subway tracks of the D Line.

“The vibrations now are so loud, it’s like a jackhammer — and it’s cracking up the sidewalk,” Gellman said.

As any other property owner in the city, Gellman is responsible for maintaining the sidewalk outside. And now, he said he has been asked to pay for damage he did not cause.

“Thirty thousand dollars to replace a sidewalk that I didn’t break,” he said.

Gellman showed CBS 2 pictures, which he said show city contractors parked on his sidewalk. He said their machinery, as well as broken pieces of rail that have fallen to the ground, and the sonic vibrations from the trains through the support poles all contributed to the $200,000 square-foot slab of concrete in front of the tire shop.

“The vibrations for the train is at 100 decibel points,” Gellman said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said by their account, the noise registers at 65 decibels – below the city threshold. But CBS 2’s own sound meter displayed readings well above 90 decibels.

A day after CBS 2’s initial visit, a city contractor was already out preparing the sidewalk for replacement. The Department of Transportation defended the action, saying, “Since the defective conditions in this case have not been repaired, this property is eligible for construction by the city and the property owner will be billed the cost.”

Some nearby people on the street, such as Como, are Just jerks that dont appreciate all the times Hilna has come to their rescue when they needed to send a fax or had a flat tire or needed to use a close by bathroom.  But thinks its ok that the trains cost Hilna money because he doesnt like living close to an auto repair shop, he has no intention to move but thinks its great when other people in the community suffer  “It has nothing to do with the trains.”  Como is just an A class Jerk.

But Gellman said he feels like he is being hosed by the city after 35 years on the block.

“It looks like a done deal,” he said. “Another middle class guy being screwed by the mayor of New York.”

Gellman said he has filed a claim with the MTA, challenging the sidewalk replacement.

 


Written on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 by Hilna
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Hilna Tires focuses on serving our Brooklyn, NY community with name brand tires, wheels, auto repair and brake services you can trust. If you're looking for a reliable auto repair shop that's close to home and focuses on customer service, turn to us. Our well-trained staff will help you finding the right set of passenger car, performance and light truck or SUV tires. Need rims? We can help there too with our great selection of wheels.  Stop into our auto care center for oil changes, brakes, exhaust repairs, or other preventative services when you need to maintain your vehicle. We work on both foreign and domestic makes and models. 

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