People that live near South Grant Street and East Cherry Street in Palmyra said the sinkhole that showed up 6 months ago is getting a lot worse. On Thursday Borough officials closed parts of South Grant and East Cherry Street as a result. “Since the last rain we had even that storm a couple nights ago seems like it’s going down further and further and further” said Richard Schiavoni who lives in the area.
Many worry about the affect the sinkholes can have on real estate prices in the area and they’re also worried about their safety. A report commissioned by the Borough of Palmyra said that large scale excavation and treatment of at least 2 of the homes on East Cherry Street is not an option. That’s because they’re beyond repair. Shaun Sandiford lives in the area and knows some of the folks that had to leave because of the sinkhole and can sympathize with their state of mind. “Devastating because you’re watching your livelihood, what you’ve built and what you’ve founded it’s just going to disappear into a sinkhole and to me that would be devastating if it was my house” said Sandiford.
East Cherry Street resident Kathleen Bachman wants answers. “I’d like to see some resolution for the residents that have been there and for the street itself, it would be nice to see the workers back out” said Bachman. We reached out to the Palmyra Borough Manager who told us they can’t work on the roads until the sinkholes under the homes are fixed because they’re interconnected. He said they’re having a private meeting with homeowners next week to work out a plan to pay for it.