Flemington residents question officials on storm response

Drainage issues, property erosion major topics at meeting

FLEMINGTON -- Questions about disaster relief and whether Flemington Borough is able to pursue state and federal assistance following recent flooding dominated public discussion at Thursday's borough council meeting.

Residents questioned council about the borough's decision not to issue a local disaster declaration following the recent storm, saying the decision could leave residents without access to grant assistance for damage to their homes and properties.

The discussion came as the borough continues to address storm-related drainage, erosion and infrastructure problems.

One resident, who identified himself as Kevin Tripp, told council he has lost significant property along the canal because of erosion and said the problem has worsened in recent years.

"I mean, I literally lost 10 feet of property," Tripp said. "And you can see it."

Tripp said a railroad-tie retaining wall that had stood for about 20 years has been largely washed away. He expressed concern that continued erosion will further damage his property while also depositing material into the canal.

"I had a wall there for 20 years. It stood the ground. Now it's no longer there," he said. "Something changed within the past two or three years that that wall went from a wall to not a wall."

Council members discussed whether the increased water flow could be connected to the borough's bridge and culvert system.

Tripp said the problem becomes particularly severe during heavy rain.

"When we get a lot of rain, it gets very violent down there," he said.

Council members said they are planning to work with the Clinton County Conservation District to evaluate erosion and drainage problems. Borough officials have already been gathering photographs of streams and problem areas to present to conservation officials.

"We are going to meet with them, probably the week after next," Council member Dave Grimm said. "Once we get the photographs done and take care of the long line ... what they can do about it, I have no idea."

Officials said the conservation district could potentially identify grant opportunities or projects to slow water flow and address erosion, although they cautioned that there would not be an immediate solution.

The disaster-relief discussion became more pointed when a resident questioned why Flemington did not issue a disaster declaration following the storm.

The resident, Jonathan Temple, said the Small Business Administration had opened assistance for storm-affected residents and that the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency also was making funding available through disaster programs.

Council members said the borough had not yet discussed pursuing state or federal funding.

Temple also questioned whether the borough had submitted damage estimates for infrastructure repairs to county or state officials.

Council responded with a no when asked whether infrastructure damage estimates had been submitted.

The resident argued that declaring a disaster could have provided residents with another avenue for financial assistance.

"Even if you don't know, if you still put in for it and don't use the money, that's fine," Temple said. "But if you would have put in for that declaration, that would have opened up grant money."

The resident also questioned whether the borough had been adequately assessing damage throughout the community.

Council members said borough officials had visited some properties after receiving reports of damage. A discussion followed regarding whether damage at one resident's property had been properly observed during an earlier inspection.

The resident pressed council for a commitment to seek assistance if an extension of the disaster-relief deadline became available.

Council members said they had contacted county emergency management officials to determine whether the deadline could be extended.

Officials also said they had previously been told the borough was past the deadline for submitting a declaration, but said they would seek clarification.

Another resident, Richard Lewis, told council that drainage problems have persisted for years around the area of Hillview Wesleyan Church parking lot, sending large amounts of water toward homes along the street.

"The problem is, the drainage that's there now isn't sufficient enough for the amount of water coming down that hill," Lewis said.

Council members agreed that the existing drainage system appears inadequate and discussed having more resident input for their park study being conducted to determine where the water is coming from and how the system could be improved.

Officials also said borough workers had recently cleaned storm drains and drainage areas near Canal Street and removed trees and debris from around a culvert.

The borough plans to continue investigating the drainage system and seek potential funding for improvements.

Borough public works crews have spent the past several weeks responding to the storm and its aftermath.

According to the labor report, crews cleaned storm drains, removed trees from drainage areas, cleaned around the Canal Street culvert, added stone to a damaged area and worked on clearing trees from right-of-ways.

The borough also has been working to address a flow-meter issue along Woods Avenue and has continued routine maintenance at borough parks and fields.

Council members indicated that drainage and stormwater management will remain an ongoing priority as the borough evaluates the damage from the recent storm and looks for possible funding sources.