Sunday, April 22, 2007

REQUESTING TOWN BD DISCUSS E HARTSDALE AVE FLOODING TUESDAY AT WORK SESSION

I have requested that the Town Board discuss the following at Tuesday's work session.
1) Waiving all flood related building permits.
2) Completing an analysis of the causes of the flood & recommendations re: action steps to be taken so that we can prevent another major flood on E Hartsdale Ave.
I want to give this the highest priority attention. We should move forward quickly on implementing any recommendations to prevent a repeat of what happened during last weeks storm.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is East Hartsdale Avenue a state road like West Hartsdale Avenue is, or is it a regular town road?

Anonymous said...

What's the difference wether it's a town road or a state road.Are you trying to make a federal case about the flooding. Peoples livelihood is at stake.Feiner is doing the best he can to help the storekeepers plus the people who had to vacate their apartments. You're talking like a person who lives in Edgemont questioning different roadways.Please let Feiner do his job to help these people.I do hope the rest of the board will do their jobs in given the right kind of help that is needed.

Anonymous said...

Relax man ... I just asked as a matter of funding sources available to help out with the re-engineering efforts. If it is a state road, there are additional resources available.

Anonymous said...

But the funding isn't available if the Town (meaning Feiner) cut a deal in the 1990's to get a big one time payment to service and maintain the state road FOREVER. Sure, there was no tax increase that year but sooner or later you have to pay the piper.
Thanks for screwing us again Mr Supervisor.

Anonymous said...

Give the man a break. Let the supervisor do his job, helping the businesses that suffered flooding. If you want to criticize Feiner comment on another blog category. East Hartsdale Ave should be removed from politics.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Still wondering, though, if it's a state road.

Anonymous said...

I was at the NYSC at East Hartsdale when the flood started. What I did see:
1) It was clear, the storm drain behing the building was clogged, the same that seven weeks ago.
2) The amount of water did not overrun the street drains, but the actual building placements clearly are below the water flow.
3) If the permits are based on 100 year flood levels and the diversion studies of old creeks path are based on the same, clearly the risk is there and last storm was a 110 year record. It seems htat it will not be the same, and the properties below the mater flow should be aware that debris needs to be cleaned often to clear the drain pours.

Anonymous said...

Feiner should stop playing politics with the Hartsdale flood and recognize that, having issued a pre-storm press release assuring the public and congratulating himself -- Colbert style -- for having gotten the drains cleaned when they were not cleaned, he is culpable too.

An independent investigator should examine all communications Feiner had with DPW pre-storm on the drain issue so that the public can learn whether the town even has a drain cleaning program, and if it does, what drains are covered, how much is spent, how much manpower is involved, and what steps are taken to decide what to do when there is a prospective flood emergency -- as there was here.

It would also be useful to know what information Feiner had when he issued that press release and, because we now know in hindsight that it was so misleading, who, if anyone, had cleared that press release before it was issued.

Anonymous said...

Even if every drain was cleared prior to the rain. If you had any common sense you would know debris flows (leaves,sticks and garbage)to the drains and clog it up again. there really is no simple solution to solve this problem. But I give the supervisor credit for trying to help any way he can.

Anonymous said...

Oh really? Was that the reason for the flooding on East Hartsdale Avenue? Or is that the excuse being given for why the town -- and Feiner -- should not be held responsible?

The only way to know for sure is for there to be an independent investigation into what really happened and why.

Let's let the chips, as well as the leaves, sticks, and garbage fall where they may.

Paul Feiner said...

The commissioner of public works worked on a report with recommendations--which will be presented to the Town Board this week. We will take action steps to address the problem so there won't be repeat incidents. I had a conversation today with the town engineer and am optimistic that we can address this problem.

Anonymous said...

Sounds an awful lot like the fox guarding the henhouse.

The reasons for the Hartsdale flood need to be the subject not of a report with recommendations by the commissioner of public works, but by independent investigators who are not beholden to the town.

Why is this so hard to understand?

The commissioner of public works does an excellent job, but he's got a boss named Feiner that may have tied his hands as far as budget, manpower and priorities are concerned. The same also may be said for the town engineer and the HPPD.

Most of the businesses on the south side of East Hartsdale Avenue have been destroyed. The structural damage, damage to fixtures, equipment and merchandise, and lost sales, will almost certainly exceed $1 million.

The town may bear some responsibility here. Feiner issued a press-release pre-storm saying the storm drains were being cleaned.

The public has a right to know whether that means the town was engaging in a special storm-related effort, or whether this was pure PR designed to highlight routine maintenance that in no way was intended to address the very real problems created by the drainage problems behind the stores and apartments on East Hartsdale Avenue.

The public also has a right to know what the consequences were of the town's apparent failure to act. Was an environmental hazard created? If so, what was its nature? Who was exposed? How do we know the public is not in danger?

For example, why were Earth Day celebrants told this past weekend to stay away from the Bronx River? That even though the river was littered with debris, it wasn't safe more than a week after the storm for anyone to be near there, even to engage in clean up?

One thing's for sure: most of the businesses on East Hartsdale Avenue will not be opening up anytime soon and the public will want to know the answers to these and many other questions.

Anonymous said...

To Fox Guarding the Hen House

Thanks for your unbiased opinion.

Your objectivity is overwhelming

Anonymous said...

Several of the small businesses that were destroyed on East Hartsdale Avenue are owned by parents with young children.

Thanks perhaps in part to the town and its failure to deal with its inadequate infrastructure, these young parents have just lost their only means of supporting their families.

These folks had a right to rely on Feiner's pre-storm press release saying the town would clean out the storm drains.

Now they're wiped out.

Don't you think these folks are entitled to more than just a report and recommendations from the town's DPW manager?

If that's what's good enough for Feiner, can these folks count on town council to be the responsible actor here? Do they have a choice?

Paul Feiner said...

I want the problem solved and would support hiring an independent consultant to assist us in our efforts to address the flooding problem on E Hartsdale Ave.

Anonymous said...

The town is trying to help merchants and residents who experienced flooding. THANK YOU!

Anonymous said...

If accepting the resignation of the head of DPW was recommended, would you still want to solve the problem?