Timber Grove resident makes FAQ sign about sidewalk damaged in water leak repair

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Timber Grove man is venting his frustrations with a bit of humor. Six months of 311 requests led one resident to post a tongue-in-cheek Q&A about a drawn-out sidewalk repair.

"People walk here, and you have lots of moms with strollers, and they would be wheeling by the house, they would have to go out into the roadway, and they would side eye my house, like maybe, I dug up the sidewalk or something," homeowner Daragh Carter said.

Carter said his sidewalk problem started as a water leak in November 2025. 311 records show he submitted a complaint with Public Works. A few weeks later, a crew came out and made the fix, but Carter said his sidewalk was left with a muddy gap.

"It seemed there would be a process in place. They knew a crew had come out," Carter said.

Sure enough, Carter's 311 request in December about the sidewalk problem said it was referred to restoration. According to Public Works, the restoration teams make the necessary fixes after utility work is completed.

But after months of no fix and side eyes from parents pushing strollers, Carter said it was time to get creative.

"So I thought I'd put out a Q and A so people know what is happening or isn't happening and why," Carter said.

Carter hand-made a cardboard sign with questions and answers he hoped would help neighbors understand what was going on.

"I wasn't mad, I was just kind of confused why the process didn't work the way it was supposed to work," Carter said.

Carter's sign was taken down during a second water leak in the same spot, which was repaired on Monday.

ABC13 has reached out to Houston Public Works to learn when a sidewalk fix may be coming this way and how long people typically have to wait for the restoration team to do their work, but we are waiting to hear back.

According to city data, water leaks remain a top 311 complaint week over week, but sidewalks do not, though in most circumstances, it's on the property owner to maintain them.

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