Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Protecting our community flooding is one issue that we should all agree should not be politicized. While it is not our intent to respond to political literature, politician Dawn McAdam has left us no choice. In August, Ms. McAdam pledged she would “never turn politician.” She should revisit that pledge. In a flyer distributed last week, Ms. McAdam played politics. She said the “flood committee is made up of politicians and/or hand-picked political machine appointees.” She’s wrong. And the accomplishments of this committee refute her comments.
The flood committee consists of one councilman from each ward. It is the council person’s obligation to represent their constituents in addressing problems and concerns. The other two members of the committee are the Superintendent of Public Works, who deals with town-wide flood-related problems on a daily basis, and the Town Engineer, who has the technical expertise to help solve the problems and concerns. In Ms. McAdam’s words, we “are the hand-picked political machine appointees.”
During the past few years, many of the goals of the committee have been achieved. The majority of the following projects were done using outside funds or grants, with little or no impact to the Secaucus taxpayers.
$27,000 grant from F.E.M.A. to complete the first municipal flood mitigation plan. A $1 million grant for a new pump station on the Hackensack River has reached the final stage of approval. With help from the HMDC and Army Corps of Engineers a $2.5 million town-wide flood control study is underway and should be completed by Spring.
1.5 miles of berms and dikes along the banks of the Hackensack River have been built by the Public Works Department. These dikes have been successful in holding back storm tides.
The Committee and HMDC convinced Hartz Mountain Industries to replace a critical drainage culvert on Secaucus Road. Hartz will complete the $500,000 project by Spring to prevent flooding in the 1st Ward.
The Committee has received funding from HMDC and NJ Transit to buy five new 8″ diesel pumps capable of pumping up to 5,000 gallons of storm water per minute. Pumps have been installed at Farm Road and Acorn Road, Golden Avenue pump station and Born Street pump station.
To redirect storm water from homes, we have elevated curbs and sidewalks on Golden Avenue, Humboldt Street, Chestnut Court and Center Avenue.
The Committee has assured that all drainage ditches remain free of debris and obstacles.
The Committee has ensured that the HMDC pay for a water retention basis, tidegates, new storm lines and catch basins and improvements to the 38-acre High School mitigation site. All 2nd Ward residents will benefit.
The Committee and Town Engineer worked to place new tidegates along Meadowlands Parkway to prevent roadway flooding. NJ Transit paid the cost.
The Committee has planned properly by budgeting $50,000 each year for new storm lines, backyard pump stations, drains and the rebuilding of every pump in every pump station.
Ms. McAdam ignores these accomplishments to instead play politics. And Ms. McAdams childishly resorts to name-calling, referring to the committee as “political cronies.” Ms. McAdams contributed to none of the above accomplishments. They were gained by hard work from Committee Chairman Mike Grecco, Councilmen John Reilly and Bob Kickey and the entire committee. Hard work prevents flooding. Playing politics does not. Ms. McAdam should learn this lesson.
Mike Gonnelli, Superintendent, Pubic Works
Gerry Perricone, Town Engineer