Old Irving Park Resident Fed Up With Years Of Crumbling Streets And Sidewalks; 'Nothing Has Been Done'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Fed up with a disintegrating road and sidewalk and other decay in the Old Irving Park neighborhood, Dawn Collins reached out to CBS 2 for help after getting no answers from her alderman.

Collins said she's lived in the neighborhood for 13 years, and in all that time has avoided a section of sidewalk that is almost completely missing.

"I do avoid it. I do, at all costs, because it's horrible," she said.

Collins has spent more than a decade tip-toeing off road, and down the middle of the street, because of potholes deep enough to damage passing cars.

"Most of the time people have to travel on that side of the street, not just because we're standing here, but because the potholes are so large," she said. "It's awful that it is not getting the attention it needs."

Several street signs near Belmont and Kilbourn avenues are bent out of shape. Collins' complaints go on, from broken street lights to constant graffiti.

"As a taxpayer, I want better for my community," she said.

Collins said she's repeatedly written, called, and emailed Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th), and always been told "we'll look into it."

"I don't know if it gets looked into, but nothing has been done," she said.

Imagine her surprise when an abandoned building she loathes had a visitor. Owner George Ruiz invited Collins and CBS 2 in to his future restaurant. He was cleaning up the inside of the building, but Collins wanted to know about the boarded-up exterior.

"I'm gonna fix it. The thing is, it takes time, takes money," Ruiz said.

An answer at least one neighbor isn't going to take at face value anymore.

"Okay, Georgie, I'm going to hold you to it," Collins said.

After repeated efforts to reach Ald. Reboyras over the course of many days, he got back to Collins on Tuesday. He said some of the issues are on private property, but he promised to fix the rest this year.