Water everywhere! Residents urge township to take action

By Paul Greulich, Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — The issue of flooding is not going away any time soon. At last week’s Township Committee meeting, residents urged their local officials to  remediate factors that exacerbate the problem and halt upcoming projects they feel may worsen the situation.

Members of the public spoke both as individuals and in their capacity as representatives for local organizations such as the Environmental Commission and Water-Everywhere.

Water-Everywhere, formed shortly after Tropical Storm Irene, is comprised of residents who have been speaking at township committee meetings to keep the issue of flooding and flood control at the forefront.

Among the members are residents Jim and Karen Bonacorda, who were impacted by the flood last summer.

“We’re not angry and we’re not trying to get anyone it trouble,” Karen said. “We’re just trying to make the system better.”

Karen said citizens attempted with little success to organize after Hurricane Floyd in 1999, but the flooding situation is now more severe.

Several areas of town experienced flooding during Tropical Storm Irene, with particular damage occurring just upstream of the bridge in the area of Marion Avenue, Perry Place, Warner Avenue and Alvin Terrace, a neighborhood that is bordered on two sides by the Rahway River and Van Winkles Brook.

“There are a lot of people who have been flooded more than once,” Karen said.

One of the group’s goals is the replacement of the Morris Avenue bridge, an aged structure with narrow archways believed to impede water flow.

“We think the best thing now is to focus on one thing,” Karen Bonacorda said.

At the Jan. 24 meeting, local officials assured the public they are “actively engaged with the county and state” on flooding in general and the bridge in particular.

“We’ve identified the problem. We’ve acknowledged the problem and now we have to move forward with a solution,” Mayor Ziad Shehady said.

Local officials met with state and county representatives in November to discuss the town’s flooding woes. The State Department of Transportation has begun work on a “problem statement” that identifies the shortcomings of the structure. They must also complete a feasibility study to determine the proper course of action to correct the problem.

Local officials have estimated it will be five to six years years before any construction is ready to begin, a timeline that dismayed some of the residents. A funding source for any potential replacement of the bridge has not been identified.

Water-Everywhere is also lobbying for the creation of a working group composed of both residents and officials dedicated to flood mitigation in Springfield, similar to Cranford’s flood commission.

However, Shehady said the issue of flooding is already being addressed by the public works subcommittee and noted private groups like Water-Everywhere  may be positioned to have better continuity needed to focus on an issue over a long period of time.

“Our request was basically denied,” Jim Bonacorda said.

Shehady could not be reached for further comment by press time.

Another issue related to flooding was raised by Environmental Commission Chair Denise Devone, who discussed an upcoming project to install artificial turf on the athletic field at Jonathan Dayton High School.

Devone said the commission is opposed to artificial turf for reasons pertaining to both “above ground and below ground” dangers. Devone said the rubber pellets used in turf can be harmful to children younger than age seven, while the impervious surface of the turf itself prevents stormwater from being absorbed into the Earth.

Flooding is of particular concern as the field sits right next to Van Winkles Brook, a tributary of the Rahway River. Residents are worried stormwater runoff from the  turf surface would flow directly into the river.

“We are for the athletic field but we are against artificial turf in any form,” Devone said.

Shehady said some of the commission’s concerns can likely be addressed when the bid specifications for the project are being drawn up.

“There are technologies some other municipalities have used that mitigate some of these factors,” Shehady said.

However, he noted the Board of Education, not the township, is the lead agency on this project.

Board of Education President Pat Venezia could not be reached for comment by press time. District Superintendent Mike Davino could not be reached for comment by press time.

Township Administrator Anthony Cancro said the project is estimated at between $3 million and $3.4 million, an expense the the Board of Education asked the township to bond for. A decision to do so has not been made yet.

Cancro said construction may start in the Spring or Summer and be completed in time for the 2012-2013 school year, but this is the absolute best-case scenario.

Cancro said a portion of the field is in the FEMA-designated floodzone and an area nearby is designated as wetland by the DEP.

“In order for any construction to be done, the design has to be approved by the DEP to ensure it doesn’t exacerbate any flooding and allows for proper drainage,” Cancro explained.

The township’s application for the project was submitted to the DEP about two weeks ago.

Devone said considering the seriousness of the flooding issue and the relatively small percentage of residents who will end up using the field, the matter should be decided by the public through a referendum vote as was done with a proposed project to upgrade the municipal pool several years ago. That project was voted down.

Shehady acknowledged the possibility of a referendum on the issue of artificial turf but pointed out that million-dollar projects are routinely voted on by the township committee and school board without a direct vote from the public.

Shehady said he has his finger on the pulse of the town and understands a majority of residents are in favor of a turf field project.

Water-Everywhere has a meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Sarah Bailey Center at 30 Search Mall. The public is welcome to attend.

Paul Greulich can be reached at 908-686-7700 ext. 121, or at thelocalsource@gmail.com.