Dear Editor:
I recently received the "Vote Team Elwell" flyer "Promises Made, Promises Kept."
On the back side of the flyer there is a photo of Mr. Robert Kickey, Second Ward Councilman, accompanying his open letter. The letter reads, "Dear Friend: The Second Ward has been fortunate to have superb representation in most of our Town government." I live in the Second Ward, on Meadow Lane, and from where I sit that must be a typo. I believe it should read "Most of the Second Ward has been fortunate enough to have superb representation in most of our Town government."
As I read through Councilman Robert Kickey’s open letter I must agree with all the factual information on the past performance of Mayor Dennis Elwell and himself. But, when I come to the part which refers to "The Second Ward Flood Control Program" I am puzzled; then, I realize Mr. Kickey is referring to another part of the Second Ward, possibly to, if not adjacent to, The Hackensack River.
I live on Meadow Lane, and my flooding problems have escalated tremendously over the past year and a half. Days after a good rain you can drive down Meadow Lane, come around the bend in the road, opposite Meadow Lane Court and find yourself driving through a wet road surface. The water you are driving through has been pumped to the street from one of two places, or both simultaneously. It has either been pumped from below the surface of our rear yard or from below the basement foundation of our home, at times both. After a good rain, the pumping can continue for two weeks or so.
I live nowhere near a body of water, but you wouldn’t have known that on September 10, 2001, the day of our last heavy rain fall. Our rear yard had a good 2′ (two feet) of water on the surface. (This has become the norm after a heavy rain), which meant the ground had become saturated, at the least 4′ below the surface; which is the depth of the deepest subsurface water catch basin and sump pump installed in our rear yard, and it was pumping. One of two rear yard pumps was installed by the Secaucus Department of Public Works to which I send my sincere gratitude as well as the Town Electrician, Mayor Elwell and all Town Officials involved in the decision making process of the installation. It does help. Unfortunately, since then I have had to install another subsurface catch basin and pump.
I should mention here all our roof leaders and gutters direct and carry rain water runoff directly to the street.
If I were living on the Oklahoma Pan Handle none of the above would be out of the ordinary, since the land topography is very flat, water pools where it falls. I remember this from my college days. But no, I live nowhere near the State of Oklahoma, nor do I live near a body of water known to overflow its banks; I live adjacent to the cul-de-sac development known as Carina Estates, a.k.a. Meadow Lane Court.
For the past year and a half we have been receiving a tremendous amount of rain water runoff from the developed lot adjacent to our home. The previously mentioned flooding problems have been witnessed, evaluated and researched by the proper Secaucus Town Officials and a respected Engineering firm. Conclusion, the lot is over 200 percent over developed and contains structures that do not meet Secaucus Building Code Standards.
When the lot was developed strict attention was to be paid to water runoff issues by order of the Secaucus Planning Board and the Town Engineer, at that time. Before building began calculations for water runoff, including proposed building area coverage and land contour, were determined and set forth as a governing factor for the development. The subject lot adjacent to us appears to have been excluded from the rules and regulations set down by The Secaucus Planning Board, The Secaucus Engineer, at that time, and from the adhering to Secaucus Building Code Standards for a standard lot size of 50′ by 100′, where here too the subject lot does not meet Secaucus Building Code Standards.
I have been told by Secaucus Town Officials there is nothing the Town of Secaucus can do regarding the enforcement of the Building Code Violations on the adjacent lot. This translates into continued flooding which gets worse with each heavy rain fall.
I have listened to phrases such as "You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube."
We are now paying the price of having faith in our elected officials and not having building code savvy.
We dread the rain, pay the electric bills for said pumping and watch as our home and quality of life wash away.
Not wishing for a White Christmas.
James M. Marianucci