WEATHERSFIELD TOWNSHIP Residents alert trustees to water woes

Basement walls are cracking and yards are being washed out, she said.
By MARY R. SMITH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MINERAL RIDGE -- Petitions carrying the signatures of about 40 residents of Morris Street and Laura Lane were given to trustees who were asked to take a serious look at the severe water problems on those streets.
Residents Carol Marsh of 1649 Morris St. and John Culp of 1672 Laura Lane showed trustees pictures of the flooding problems on the street at Tuesday's regular meeting.
Culp said residents of the streets met twice in preparing for the presentation.
"We are very concerned about the West Nile virus," Marsh said. "I think the health and disease problems are really serious."
She asked trustees if the contractor who built their homes was required to install water run-off drains. She said residents want the trustees to pursue a Community Development Block Grant to see if the problems can be fixed, noting that the water overflow goes inside homes and basements, that basement walls are cracking and there is a lack of soil compaction and yards are being washed out, especially back yards.
She said a pine tree fell over in her neighbor's yard onto her property and a hole big enough for a child to fall into developed. The hole was filled in by the township and seeded, but is still a problem, she said.
County approval
Marsh said she believed that trustees signed off on developments to make sure developers had met all road and sewer requirements, but Trustee Fred Bobovnyk said the county signs off on developments.
He noted that is why Trustee John Vogel is pushing for the township zoning commission to put together a Planned Unit Development regulation, which will make the township responsible for signing off on new developments.
Residents told trustees there is a 16-inch grate in a back yard on Laura Avenue that is full of debris. Bobovnyk, who sat in for Chairman James Stoddard, said trustees are studying that specific area as part of a storm water flooding study the township had MS Consultants do for them in December.
A meeting with the consultants was held last week and another one is planned for May 27. Bobovnyk said the township has other drains that need to be cleaned, and noted there are drains all over the Oakview development that don't tie in to anything, based on the MS study.
Culp said everyone on Laura Lane has a problem in their back yard with property damage and health concerns about standing water. He told trustees the storm sewers are either inadequate or plugged.
Resident James Squires, however, was critical of the study, for which trustees paid $9,400, and Vogel added he isn't really happy with the study.