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Summer rains expose New Lebanon’s drainage problems
By Bob Green
NEW LEBANON — The heavy rains over the summer have put a spotlight on drainage problems in several parts of town. At the Town Board meeting Sept. 14, residents and officials expressed a variety of opinions about the causes, remedies and who is accountable for making things right.
On state Route 20 in the vicinity of Canaan Road, a long standing threat of washouts is said by many to have been made even worse by the Department of Environmental Conservation’s environmental cleanup at the former Bouchard junkyard. Chuck Giraldi is one of the site’s nearest neighbors, who told the board, “Lots of this comes from the remediation. DEC is trying to push this off to other things. It comes from what they have done.” He said the DEC is blaming “beaver dams” instead of taking the responsibility.
Another neighbor, Jimmy Winestock, said that part of his front lawn is now “under 2 feet of water” and that problems near the road there go back years. “Every time the water threatened to go over, they’d ramrod” backed-up material from affected culverts and catch basins and that it “all went downstream so now it’s all plugged up.” Several other speakers mentioned work downstream by the Army Corps of Engineers decades ago.
For his part, Highway Superintendent Jeff Winestock focused on problem solving over finger pointing. “I’m willing to do it,” he said of the need to clean out a “swamp,” where 50-year-old trees have now fallen down because their roots have rotted. He acknowledged there could be significant costs involved.
Other town officials were less willing to shoulder what they thought should be a state or even federal responsibility. Councilman Karl Chittenden noted the previous Corps of Engineers’ work and said, “That’s what it needs again now.”
Councilman Bruce Baldwin said the town couldn’t do it alone. “It needs a funding stream, otherwise it’s too expensive.”
Supervisor Margaret Robertson promised action. “We’ll work on it. It’s not acceptable. … Let’s force their hand,” she said.
Despite receiving notification from the DEC that remediation at the Bouchard site was complete, some still don’t see it that way. Jimmy Winestock said there are still “ponds dug out … they never put any fill back in” and that due to grading, the surface water “all runs down.”
Reached after the meeting, Baldwin said that there is even more to it. “Instead of using sand (for fill), they used clay, which could be non-permeable. During wet weather, we’ve noticed puddles” where standing water is not absorbed by the soil.
While he said he hasn’t formed an opinion on the matter, he thinks the DEC “will have to address this. Maybe they will realize the connections between their site and the problems downstream.”
Another potentially recurring flooding problem came up in comments by David Stocks, president of the Shaker Museum and Library. He said that during the rains on July 31, an “aquifer plugged up,” flooding the road nearby. Although staff lifted a 4-foot by 8-foot capstone to remove silt and gravel, Stocks said he was still “looking for a firm who can clean it out without damaging” historical assets of “national significance.” The National Park Service recently gave that designation to the museum’s landscape, which includes waterworks and manmade aquifers.
Jeff Winestock said he was “not happy” with the museum’s timetable. “It has to be done right away,” he warned the board.
Stocks also asked the town for a resolution in support of a “pass-through” grant from the New York state Department of Transportation for stabilization of the museum’s Great Stone Barn. Because the DOT grant requires a “municipal sponsor” to collect and disburse funds, a resolution is required, but board members sent Stocks back to DOT for clarification after it became clear the proposed language obligated the town to pay without any mention of when, or if, funds would be received from DOT.
In other town news, it became apparent during the supervisor’s report that Justice Darcy Poppey had remitted no collected fines to the town during a period in which her counterpart, Justice Shaun McHugh, turned over $4,085. Baldwin noted that the town would owe the money to the state in any case. Poppey is suing the town over the pay and hours of Deputy Court Clerk Diane Brown, who assists her, and a decision in the case is expected soon.
Later in the meeting, Baldwin asked if the town could suspend or even abolish a justice’s position. Town Attorney Jason Shaw said that because the office holder is elected, a referendum would be required.
On state Route 20 in the vicinity of Canaan Road, a long standing threat of washouts is said by many to have been made even worse by the Department of Environmental Conservation’s environmental cleanup at the former Bouchard junkyard. Chuck Giraldi is one of the site’s nearest neighbors, who told the board, “Lots of this comes from the remediation. DEC is trying to push this off to other things. It comes from what they have done.” He said the DEC is blaming “beaver dams” instead of taking the responsibility.
Another neighbor, Jimmy Winestock, said that part of his front lawn is now “under 2 feet of water” and that problems near the road there go back years. “Every time the water threatened to go over, they’d ramrod” backed-up material from affected culverts and catch basins and that it “all went downstream so now it’s all plugged up.” Several other speakers mentioned work downstream by the Army Corps of Engineers decades ago.
For his part, Highway Superintendent Jeff Winestock focused on problem solving over finger pointing. “I’m willing to do it,” he said of the need to clean out a “swamp,” where 50-year-old trees have now fallen down because their roots have rotted. He acknowledged there could be significant costs involved.
Other town officials were less willing to shoulder what they thought should be a state or even federal responsibility. Councilman Karl Chittenden noted the previous Corps of Engineers’ work and said, “That’s what it needs again now.”
Councilman Bruce Baldwin said the town couldn’t do it alone. “It needs a funding stream, otherwise it’s too expensive.”
Supervisor Margaret Robertson promised action. “We’ll work on it. It’s not acceptable. … Let’s force their hand,” she said.
Despite receiving notification from the DEC that remediation at the Bouchard site was complete, some still don’t see it that way. Jimmy Winestock said there are still “ponds dug out … they never put any fill back in” and that due to grading, the surface water “all runs down.”
Reached after the meeting, Baldwin said that there is even more to it. “Instead of using sand (for fill), they used clay, which could be non-permeable. During wet weather, we’ve noticed puddles” where standing water is not absorbed by the soil.
While he said he hasn’t formed an opinion on the matter, he thinks the DEC “will have to address this. Maybe they will realize the connections between their site and the problems downstream.”
Another potentially recurring flooding problem came up in comments by David Stocks, president of the Shaker Museum and Library. He said that during the rains on July 31, an “aquifer plugged up,” flooding the road nearby. Although staff lifted a 4-foot by 8-foot capstone to remove silt and gravel, Stocks said he was still “looking for a firm who can clean it out without damaging” historical assets of “national significance.” The National Park Service recently gave that designation to the museum’s landscape, which includes waterworks and manmade aquifers.
Jeff Winestock said he was “not happy” with the museum’s timetable. “It has to be done right away,” he warned the board.
Stocks also asked the town for a resolution in support of a “pass-through” grant from the New York state Department of Transportation for stabilization of the museum’s Great Stone Barn. Because the DOT grant requires a “municipal sponsor” to collect and disburse funds, a resolution is required, but board members sent Stocks back to DOT for clarification after it became clear the proposed language obligated the town to pay without any mention of when, or if, funds would be received from DOT.
In other town news, it became apparent during the supervisor’s report that Justice Darcy Poppey had remitted no collected fines to the town during a period in which her counterpart, Justice Shaun McHugh, turned over $4,085. Baldwin noted that the town would owe the money to the state in any case. Poppey is suing the town over the pay and hours of Deputy Court Clerk Diane Brown, who assists her, and a decision in the case is expected soon.
Later in the meeting, Baldwin asked if the town could suspend or even abolish a justice’s position. Town Attorney Jason Shaw said that because the office holder is elected, a referendum would be required.
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