City fixes flooding problem


By jeanne starmack

starmack@vindy.com

campbell

The city has corrected one flooding problem and is taking steps to fix two others, said Mayor William VanSuch.

A problem on Hamrock Drive was taken care of in August, VanSuch said this week. Several yards flooded there for decades because of an asphalt parking lot at an old, closed-down nightclub on U.S. 422.

VanSuch said a contractor removed the asphalt so the soil would absorb stormwater, and drainage pipes were installed. The nightclub, once called Sharkey’s and later the Essence Lounge, was torn down in April 2010.

VanSuch said the city also is working to correct a problem on U.S. Route 422 near Struthers-Liberty Road. Downspouts are draining onto the road, causing an ice slick in the winter.

“We’ve had an abundance of complaints,” VanSuch said. “We’re going to correct that problem before winter.”

VanSuch said another problem on Blossom Avenue causes flooding in the street and in yards.

“The street goes into a dip, and the storm sewers aren’t adequate enough to take the water,” VanSuch said. He said that over the years, a storm-sewer opening there has gotten smaller during repeated blacktopping. He said grates will be installed with curbing around them to catch the water.

He said that project also will be done before winter.

The money for the projects is coming out of the city’s stormwater fund, he said. Residents pay $3 a month for stormwater management. He was unsure of the cost of each project.