Click here for WGNO’s story on the Vazquez project.
The Vazquez family has been waiting for help since May.
Neyma Vazquez’s mother Maria was left “high and dry” by a now defunct home elevation company that she trusted to raise her home at 352 Bellemeade Blvd. in Gretna.
Her home then became “high and wet” because rainwater filled the holes around the house, which became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. After the contractors abandoned the job, high grass took over her front yard, and the two enormous mounds of dirt that were home to the high grass were an eyesore for the Vasquez family and their neighbors.
“I trusted them,” said Maria through translation from Neyma. “We flooded in hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and we get water in the neighborhood every time it rains. We need to have this finished.”
Last year, Maria signed a contract with hopes that her home would be lifted in a timely manner. In January, she received the first funds from her home elevation grant and issued the check to her contractor. Permits were obtained, and Maria gave the contractor another check in March. Finally, in May, Maria was happy to see two days of work toward her project. The crew dug trenches around her home and prepared it for the elevation that was promised to take place. Only, it never did take place.
The workers who had started the digging for the project began asking Maria and her husband for money, claiming the contractor was not paying them for working. In fact, Maria gave them money for gas just to commute to and from her property. The work stopped, however, when the crew received no payment at all from Maria’s contractor.
“I gave them $20 for gas so that they could leave and come back,” Maria said.
Maria tried contacting the contractor on several occassions, and she said she was told once that he was on vacation. The mystery of his disappearance continued through the summer when Maria said her neighbor saw him working at another location and asked why he hadn’t returned to Maria’s home to complete the job.
Now, they can once again see their front yard, and their neighbors also are appreciative of the work Coastal Shoring performed.
“He said it was because I didn’t pay him,” Maria said. That is when Maria filed a police report, accusing the contractor of running away with $80,000 and not completing her home elevation project.
Maria has signed a new contract with Coastal Shoring. The Kershenstines sent in their own crew on Tuesday, Oct. 18, to pump out the water and see if they could offer help.
“When big trucks come by, the house shook,” said Neyma. “My mother called me crying when the tornado came through a few months ago. She was afraid the house was going to fall.
“One of my neighbors is allergic to mosquitoes that are breeding under my home, and she was going to move out,” said Maria. “I was afraid that I might get sick too.”
Neyma said her mother and father were having ill health due to the nausiating smell from the stagnant water under their home. “My dad had bleeding from his nose,” Neyma said. “When I went to their house with my baby, I had to cover him completely to get him from the car to the house without mosquitoes getting all over him. It was really bad.”
In a letter sent by certified mail and dated Aug. 4, Maria requested a refund of the money she gave to her contractor so that she could hire another company to complete her home elevation project. She sent letters to the four different addresses she had for him, and she still has no refund. Ironically, however, she just received a letter from the contractor’s attorney that demanded money for the work “they already completed.”
“I wanted the mosquitoes out,” Maria said. “And I would like everything to be done by Christmas so I can put my 12-foot Santa Claus outside again.”
When Coastal Shoring got word of the mess, the company’s owners committed to getting the home back to normal while the Vasquez family awaited news on changing contractors. Fortunately, they were able to sign a new contract with Coastal Shoring. They are still waiting for information concerning what will happen to the money they already gave their former contractor.
“We’re just glad we could help,” says Adam Kershenstine, Coastal Shoring CEO. “We have the equipment to take care of the mosquito problem, and we’re working to secure funds to get her home elevation complete. We’re aiming for Christmas too.”
Neyma says that this couldn’t have happened soon enough. They’ve been dealing with mosquitoes since May, and enough is enough. “She just wants to be back to normal,” Neyma said. “My mom and dad were falling because of the water and the mud. It’s dangerous. I’m thankful that Coastal Shoring is willing to help my parents out of this mess.”
