A North Texas woman says there's a major safety hazard right in her own backyard -- a sinkhole.
Jennifer Grierson knew something wasn't right when she noticed a crack in her backyard last year. But she never thought that slope would turn into a sinkhole.
“And it goes all the way across my backyard,” she said.
Grierson and her husband rent their home in North Richland Hills.
She said they told their landlord about the sinkhole, and he contacted the HOA.
“It's going to take lots of money and we don't know how we're going to pay for that. That's what the HOA says,” Grierson explained.
The issue stems from the retaining wall, which is owned by the HOA.
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According to the HOA's engineers, rain water continues to erode the base of the wall, causing Grierson’s backyard to crack and buckle.
The family added a wired fence to serve as a partition.
“I have children here. I have animals that live in this backyard and it's not safe to have them wandering around with a giant hole,” she said.
The HOA, Grierson said, is anything but helpful.
“The last time my HOA representative came by was last summer,” she said.
And when she couldn't get answers or help, she called NBC 5 Responds' Samantha Chatman.
Chatman called the president of the Emerald Hills HOA, and he admitted they are responsible.
The president said they've had an engineer examine the sinkhole and it could cost them anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000.
He said the HOA has never dealt with anything quite like this before and is unsure how they're going to pay for it.
They have 65 homeowners, who would each be responsible for 1/65th of the total amount.
He said it's a project that's so massive that even some contractors have turned it down.
The HOA hopes to have this fixed by March, but isn't making any promises.
“I want to be able to take this fence down. Half my backyard isn't even being used,” she said.
It’s a deep rooted issue that Grierson fears will soon become a disaster.
The HOA president tells Chatman they may have to consider taking out a loan to repair the retaining wall and the sinkhole.
Chatman asked Grierson why she hasn't moved. She said her kids' school is across the street, she's a teacher in the district, so she shouldn't have to leave.
