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Philipstown Board Looks at Flooding Issues in Town
Highway Superintendent highlights specific locations at weekly workshop
by Dean Howell
At their August 6 weekly workshop, the Philipstown Town Board met with Highway Superintendent Roger Chirico to discuss two trouble spots in the Town: an illegal culvert on East Mountain Road that periodically floods, and a private road that is creating erosion problems on Old West Point Road East.
Superintendent Chirico began the meeting by describing the East Mountain Road situation, which he called a "tough one." He said that a married couple, who were in attendance, had recently purchased the property that included a culvert which also acted as an access bridge to the property, and which had been constructed by the previous owner without the Town’s knowledge or approval. The way that the culvert was constructed has caused flooding on the road during heavy rains and thaws.
"It was almost a real disaster the other morning at 6:00 am. The water flooded from their driveway all the way down to Route 9," Chirico told the Board, adding that he had helped them that morning, and told them he would go to the Board to see if the Town could do anything.
The couple had previously received a letter from the Town putting them on notice and informing them that they would be responsible if any damage was caused by future flooding due to the culvert. Town Attorney Ed Doyle explained that it is essentially a private property, for which the Town did not approve or construct the culvert in question, giving them no liability or responsibility for the current problem. "It’s a difficult issue," he observed.
"When we bought the house, we had no idea," the husband told the Board. "We thought it was just a charming little bridge. No issues came up until 6:00 the other morning."
His wife added that it "doesn’t seem fair" that they should have to take care of an illegal situation that they were not responsible for and that they were not made aware of when they purchased the property. "How could this have just passed by?" she asked the Board. "How could the previous owner have done this without anyone stopping him, and now we’re stuck with it?"
Supervisor William Mazzuca spoke with Chirico about various options for resolving the problem, including a new culvert and possibly a new bridge. When the Supervisor asked for a ballpark figure on what the costs might be, Chirico said a culvert could cost as much as $60,000.00, depending on a variety of factors.
The Board discussed what such a project might entail, including the necessity for a study by the Department of Environmental Conservation before any action could be taken. Town Attorney Ed Doyle recommended that they enlist an engineering firm to conduct a study that would determine the best option for improvement, and then get an estimate on the cost of such a project.
In the end, Supervisor Mazzuca said that the Board would speak to Gary Tretsch, the Director of Putnam Engineering, to see if they could get a recommendation and an estimate. "This is not going to be done by September, anyway," he said, noting that the process can be a long one. Highway Superintendent Chirico promised to help out in any way he could whenever there was blockage in the culvert that caused flooding out onto the road.
Chirico also described the problem on the private road near Old West Point Road East, which he called a "dangerous situation for the residents there." He told the Board that there was no drainage on the road, which causes damaging erosion on Old West Point Road East and clogs the storm drains on Route 9.
"It was completely washed out last night," he said, adding, "The safety factor is what I’m worried about." He had suggested paving as a solution to the owner of the road, but the owner said he didn’t have the money for that kind of project. He asked Town Attorney Doyle to write a letter putting the owner on notice until the problem was addressed. The Board agreed that the letter should be sent out.
The meeting concluded with the Highway Superintendent showing the Board pictures detailing the progress so far in the grading and widening of East Mountain Road, which the Board responded to with praise. The work is being done in preparation of paving the Road, which could take place as early as October if all goes well.
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