SAN ANTONIO – When it rains, it pours, and, unfortunately, that water runs right into American Legion Alamo Post 2 on Fredericksburg Road.
Luis Gomez, second commander of the post, says he’s called the city multiple times since the problem began in 2020.
After not receiving any answers or resolution, Gomez connected with KSAT.
After attending a KSAT Town Hall, Gomez invited Myra Arthur and photojournalist Sal Salazar to come check out the tiny pipe causing a significant problem.
The outdoor pipe extends from a concrete foundation at the edge of the property.
Cell phone video recorded by veteran members of the American Legion shows the water spilling over a small drainage channel connected to the pipe and flowing right next to the building.
Gomez says the water has pushed eight to 10 feet inside the building, forcing the nonprofit organization to replace the flooring three times.
The organization also had to replace part of the parking lot after the water damaged the asphalt.
“The dump truck couldn’t pick up the dumpster because its front wheels would sink,” said Gomez.
While some of the replaced flooring has been donated to the group, Alamo Post 2 paid $8,000 to fix the parking lot.
The damaged asphalt was also obstructing the handicap accessible ramp into the building.
“We didn’t pay a bill or two, so we can pay for this,” Gomez said. “This had to be done.”
Gomez says representatives from the city’s Development Services, which oversees code enforcement, and the District 1 City Council office have visited the post to check out the problem.
He says he’s also shown them the cell phone videos showing how high and fast the water flows.
Each time, Gomez says reps have told him, “That they’re gonna get back to us and they’re going to go find out who was responsible.”
But that hasn’t happened.
So, KSAT has contacted the city multiple times over two weeks.
So far, Development Services hasn’t been able to answer questions about who owns the pipe, why it’s there, or how to fix the flooding.
The department tells KSAT they plan to send someone out again to check out the issue in person.
KSAT will keep asking those questions and follow through when the problem finally dries up for the veterans at American Legion Alamo Post 2.