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One of the potholes that Ann Arbor resident Stan Baker patched on Main Street.

(Courtney Sacco | The Ann Arbor News)

The city of Ann Arbor released a statement on Friday afternoon in response to the news of a resident who filled potholes on his street.

City officials say Stan Baker's do-it-yourself patch job was a nice thought, but residents shouldn't be filling potholes on their own, and they should instead call 734-99-HOLES to report them to city crews that will go out and fill them.

Here's the full statement from the city:

Ann Arbor residents love their city so much that when they see a problem, they want to get out and do something about it. It is admirable that someone took the time and effort to fill a pothole, but we strongly recommend against doing it.



First, the city isn't going to sue and no one is going after anyone, contrary to what some on the Facebook page have argued. However, it should be clear this is dangerous work. So dangerous that city crews work with two trucks, one of which is dedicated to protecting workers on the road. Far more important than filling a small pothole on a local road is preventing residents from being hit by a moving car.



In addition, while the equipment might not be sophisticated, crews use the right material and have extensive safety training and experience filling potholes; something most residents don't have. It also makes it difficult to fix potholes in a timely fashion if crews have to address potholes that aren't filled correctly or filled with the wrong material.



We strongly encourage people take advantage of our pothole reporting system by calling 99-HOLES. We strive to fill potholes within 24 business hours. We are also adding a new mobile app this spring/summer that will allow people to report potholes from their smart phones. They will also be able track those potholes on a map of the city and be alerted when they are filled.

Ryan Stanton covers Ann Arbor city hall for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com or 734-623-2529 or follow him on Twitter.