Oct. 24--A summit about a large hole in a front yard on East 24th Street appears to have produced a resolution.

After meeting at the site on Friday, officials believe they have come up with a plan that will allow a city-paid construction company to start filling in the hole Monday morning.

Milano Construction also will install a system to vent the stray natural gas that has been seeping from the hole, said state Rep. Pat Harkins, D-1st Dist., who organized Friday's meeting.

"I think we are in real good shape," he said.

He said he and representatives from the city of Erie, National Fuel Gas and the state Department of Environmental Protection met Friday with Monique Carr, of 927 E. 24th St., between East Avenue and Perry Street.

Carr has been dealing with the large hole in her front yard since the end of July. NFG dug the hole to determine the source of the seeping gas. The utility and the DEP determined the gas was from a natural source and not NFG's lines.

The city of Erie a week ago offered to fill in the hole and vent the gas at no expense to Carr, 41, a mother of two who has been without regular natural gas service while the hole has been unfilled.

An assistant solicitor for the city, Gerald Villella, was present at the meeting Friday. He said the city made minor changes to its original written offer, to allay Carr's concerns about whether the project will work.

Villella said the city still maintains that the source of the stray gas is on Carr's property, and not city land, but that the city will perform the work and continue to consult with Carr afterward.

But he said the city plans to do no further work on the site if the venting system "doesn't quite alleviate the gas."

NFG has said it will not restore gas service to Carr's house until the stray gas is vented properly to eliminate the possibility of an explosion. Villella said NFG and the DEP helped design the venting system, which includes plastic pipes.

"They are very optimistic they will be able to get it done," Villella said.

Harkins said he will monitor the situation, and he praised the DEP and particularly NFG for their help.

"They have been very, very accommodating," he said.

Carr could not be reached for comment Friday. She said Thursday she is grateful for the help and was looking forward to reviewing the city's offer again.

Fixing the hole will allow Carr's neighbors at 931 E. 24th St., the Simmelkjaers, to remove a large tree that fell on the back of their house earlier this month. The hole in Carr's front yard has prevented workers from getting to their backyard.

ED PALATTELLA can be reached at 870-1813 or by e-mail.

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