'Pothole Lottery' Winner Announced

The winner of the "pothole lottery" in Sherman Oaks is the deep gash in the street in front of the home at 15255 Rayneta Dr. in the Sherman Oaks hills.

The "pothole lottery"—the results of which were announced Tuesday at a meeting of the Neighborhood Services Committee—began with a survey conducted by the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, in which residents were asked to identify the worst potholes in town.

From there, a list of the top 10 potholes was compiled by the Neighborhood Services Committee. At the top of the list was the pothole on Rayneta Drive.

"We're going to try to fill all of these potholes," said Jill Banks Barad, president of the Neighborhood Council, speaking at the Tuesday meeting.

Where will the money come from to fill the potholes at a time when city funds are tight?

Banks Barad told those gathered that $9,000 from the Neighborhood Council's fund will be allocated to filling the worst potholes in Sherman Oaks.

"We want to fill them all, but if we can't afford to do that, then we'll conduct a lottery to determine which of the others get filled."

How much does it cost to fill a pothole?

To answer that question, an expert in pothole filling was invited to the meeting.

Gary M. Gsell, street services superintendent at the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, said his work crew would cost more than a $1,000 a day.

"But they can usually fill about 15 potholes in one day's work," he told the gathering.

When asked how soon the pothole-filling process could begin, Gsell said, "In a couple of days." He said his crew would need to inspect the potholes before starting the work.

No date has been set yet for beginning work on the potholes.

"There are a lot more potholes we'd like to fill, but those are the worst," Neighborhood Services Committee Chairman Jeff Ebenstein told Sherman Oaks Patch.

Here is a list of the top 10 pothole locations in Sherman Oaks, according to the Neighborhood Services Committee:

15255 Rayneta Dr.

14856 Dickens St.

4242 Hazeltine Ave.

Ventura Boulevard and Stern Avenue

Ventura Boulevard and Woodman Avenue

4135 Fulton Ave.

4168 Fulton Ave.

Alley from Fulton Avenue to Dixie Canyon Avenue

Tyrone Avenue and Moorpark Street

Alley behind 14527 Ventura Blvd.