Still running, despite sewer leak
SYRACUSE --
It's day 10 of no building for Franciscan Northside Ministries. The record rainfall a couple weekends ago made for a sewer backup in the Assumption Parish Center on North Salina Street, leaving two inches of raw sewage on the ground floor, which houses the food pantry and medical clinic.
Sister J.P. Ridgeo, who's the medical clinic director, says they've been able to do a few physicals (needed to help get the needy jobs), but all the records are sealed in the building, so it's hard to refill prescriptions. As she was talking with Action News, a woman drove up and handed her an empty bottle for Lipitor. Sister says they've been calling doctors and area pharmacies to try to get refills, especially for asthmatics and others in serious need.
The food pantry is also affected, with canned goods on shelves, but unreachable because of the contamination. Sister Dolly Bush, who directs Northside Ministries, says a lot of churches have contributed food, and a makeshift food handout is working out of the porch of the building next door. This noontime, people were being offered sandwiches and bread.
Inspectors were checking the insides of the Parish Center this noontime, after tests turned up continuing contamination. The floors have been scrubbed and wet rugs pulled up and thrown out, but wallboard that was exposed is peeling, and there are sections along the main hallway where over a foot of the wall covering has been cut away, exposing brick and studs.
The plan is to re-clean on Thursday, seal the building and re-test on Friday, with results due Monday.
If they get a clean bill of health, they'll need volunteers to re-organize the piled up furniture and jumbled shelves (a number to call and offer help is 423-9961).
They hope to be running again, in their old building, next week.
