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NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Daily Voice accepts signed, original letters to the editor. Letters may be e-mailed to letters@dailyvoice.com.
To the Editor,
Common Council members Nick Kydes, Jerry Petrini and I recently met with a group of Norwalk residents who live in a lovely neighborhood between Murray Street and Dry Hill Road. They've been experiencing flooding and sewage problems for months and feel that the city has not been appropriately responsive to their concerns.
Department of Public Works employees have checked out the problem but seemed to conclude that nothing much could be done; that the drainage pipes were old, too small, etc. According to these officials, the city was not in a position to replace an antiquated underground infrastructure with a modern drainage system.
We listened to the residents, who made their case with the help of detailed maps of the area. We advised them to speak during the public participation portion of the next council meeting, and at the next meeting of the council's public works committee. For us, this was a problem that had to be solved as soon as possible.
As I listened to these Norwalk residents, I started to think about what happened 10 years ago, when the city was slow to realize how devastating flooding can be. At the time, residents on and near Olmstead Place, off East Avenue, and several other areas were experiencing serious flooding. They became increasingly frustrated as the city dragged its feet instead of aggressively dealing with the problems.
I was on the council, and a member of the public works committee, when these issues were first brought to our attention, I believe in early 2002. At the time, I didn't appreciate how much flooding affects the lives of people. A few years later, during a difficult budget debate, I changed my view as I listened to these same residents and others present detailed accounts of how flooding had changed their lives and cost them thousands of dollars.
Imagine postponing a vacation because of a weather report; coming home early from a vacation after receiving a call from a neighbor; leaving work early because a thunderstorm is in the forecast; moving furniture to upper floors to prevent water damage; paying ever larger premiums for flood insurance; or spending thousands on pumps and additional drainage systems that could not stem the flow of water.
Flooding is serious. Flooding is expensive. Flooding is frustrating. Unfortunately, it is also the equivalent of an engineering "F word" that DPW officials would rather not hear. And, more often than not – at least in my experience – their first reaction is to take a cursory look around and then announce that nothing can be done – the ground slopes in the wrong direction, the old pipes are too small, there's been over-development in the area, etc.
For instance, a few months ago I was contacted by a family in West Norwalk who had been experiencing flooding. I visited their home; saw that they had already spent a large amount of money unsuccessfully trying to address the problem; and was told that DPW officials had told them there was nothing that could be done. I contacted the department and, predictably, they told me the same thing. I conveyed this depressing conclusion to the family and didn't hear from them for a couple of months.
However, they kept pressing DPW and elected officials, and one of the city's engineers eventually discovered that a drainage pond, not too far from their home, was blocked by large logs and a tree. It did not take long for city workers to significantly reduce the flooding.
Norwalk is an old city (chronologically), and much of our underground infrastructure needs to be replaced or repaired. I once had the privilege of representing the council on the city's Water Pollution Control Authority. I recall a meeting when we were shown pictures of some of that infrastructure near Crescent Street. They were not pretty. DPW officials noted that these pictures represented problems that could not be ignored indefinitely.
We really have no choice.
Bruce Kimmel
Comments (12)
Doesn't the DPW have a camera they can put into a storm drain pipe and find out where it may be plugged, or collapsed, and fix that, rather than replace a whole system ? Sounds like the problem may be pretty close to where they are getting flooded.
Even if that doesn't completely solve the flooding forever, it could be a big help without spending a lot of money. If Bett's brook is where the water is supposed to go, large parts of it are on the surface where somebody walking it should be able to spot obstructions where ponds or open brooks go into pipes.
@OldTimer: That makes WAY too much sense where Mr. Alvord is involved. If he were a surgeon he'd propose exploratory surgery for a paper cut.....
(BTW, sure to be a bid award to Tighe and Bond Engineering, who, in the words of the great Arlo Guthrie, are sure to produce "27 8×10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence " and all KINDS of fancy-schmancy engineering type drawings and then finally determine a bowling ball or a frozen turkey or an air conditioner is blocking a pipe. Yup, those are all true findings circa 2001-2006)
Betcha anybody who looks will tell them to clean out Friendly pond and then send that camera down the drain and see what it finds. Until they complete a little maintenance, it hardly makes sense to talk about major projects.
I understand Bruce's frustration at finding solutions to our crumbling infrastructure. The answer is (unfortunately) something most residents don't want to hear.
Our problems started back when we kept re-electing Frank "I won't raise your taxes" Esposito. Our infrastructure started falling to pieces in the form of our school roofs. Other problems have cropped up since then and have remained problems simply because our governing body and mayors refused to raise the revenue to get them fixed. When a Democratic mayor did try to raise taxes in order to fix problems that could no longer be ignored (Knopp), he was stoned to death (metaphorically speaking) faster than a Salem witch.
Now, because we've avoided paying the piper for so long, it's going to cost us a TON more money to fix the problems than if we had seen modest, gradual tax increases to address these funamental issues. The City of Norwalk has painted itself into a corner it can no longer escape from with an easy campaign sound bite.
It's OK though, because I'm sure Mayor Moccia will continue to say we don't really have a problem here, just like we don't have gang problems or out-of-control gun crimes.
I know, we pay taxes through our noses now. Where is that money supposed to come from? We can start by looking hard at that black hole called the Board of Education for one thing.
And folks, I know this is a little off subject here but it's related. We keep complaining that we don't get our fair share of funding from the State legislature. Yet we keep re-electing the same bozo people to represent us in Hartford who just can't seem to get the job done. Yes, I'm referring to guys like Cafero, Duff, & Morris. Just keep that in mind come November.
Hopefully once the Republicans are out of office in Norwalk we can get some forward thinking , younger and not part of the old boys club that continues to destroy Norwalk to fix the mess
A big part of the problem is where we spend money. We sure collect enough in taxes to run the city and maintain its infrastructure. But things can only get worse if we fill the council with democrats. We already spend too much on programs, housing and aid for those who pay no taxes, most of whome are democrats.
Hey Ken,
Here's the city's 2011-2012 budget. Tell me where they're funding housing or programs for disadvantaged people. http://www.norwalkct.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/2187
Funding for housing and disadvantaged is largely federal and philanthropy dollars not Norwalk tax dollars. So get it right.
Even if it's federal tax money, those dollars come from all of us who pay Federal taxes. So Ken's larger point is correct. It's entirely reasonable to ask what benefit the City of Norwalk derives from all of our public housing.
Is this a surprise to any one who follows the yearly budget theatrical performance? No one on the council seems to understand that they are a legislative body that creates the policy by which the departments are to follow. Instead they view their role as rubber stamping authorization requests.
Mr. Kimmel, fund a real IT Department that can support the DPW tasks for mapping out sewer and water pipes throughout the city. Fund maintenance jobs and tasks so that blocked pipes don't back up water during storms "up the line."
Yes, it is true that Norwalk is an old city with antiquated pipes. So why isn't the council funding upgrades and replacements?
Norwalk would be better served by a dedication to servicing its infrastructure via a routine maintenance policy rather than the current -"let's wait for a developer to come in and rebuild it for us" plan of action.
first off to Steve we all support you,what you have is a city full of politicians telling us they care.We wish you luck with some of the council there track record so far at best has been poor.To confirm your problem and tackle it your in for a wait.
Flooding on water st has been an issue that has drawn National attention yet the council has yet to talk about that as well.Money Norwalk needs to spend is an issue.
To Bruce
Imagine postponing a vacation because of a crime report; coming home early from a vacation after receiving a call from a neighbor; leaving work early because a someone has broken into your home broken into your car; moving furniture and valuables to storage to prevent more theft ; paying ever larger premiums for theft insurance; or spending thousands on alarms and security services that could not stem the flow of crime.
Bruce you walked away from problems on Meadow st you have voted at times without much back up information and now you sit with Dave the DPW Zar who 's backroom deals have become notorious with the old boys club.Have you spoken to Dave?
Norwalk needs no more grandstanding from our council,Norwalk needs results.
Touch a truck yesterday would of been a great place to highlight all the flooding Norwalk is experiencing,taxpayers from all over could of seen pictures and understood the problem right there at the DPW.Odd how ways to talk about and work solutions are so far from the public eye.
Council members who say they know about all kinds of things before the election to solve problems show very liitle after the election in regards to common sense.
The longer one stays in politics and tells us about the years of service shows us living in the past doesn't work,its the here and now and whats going to happen next week that concerns most of us.The touch a truck event would of been a great way to bring the problem to the public and make us all understand the impact without the elected officials telling us about themselves.
Steve we do understand your problem,in Norwalk you wait your turn and results usually work around elections.
So lets go back to who runs the DPW and who decides what comes in front of the council for all these years.One answer is the people stepping up to the plate who have so much to say right now.I'm sure Fred with a real estate wife who has sat on the DPW board for years has some great stories as well like Bruce.
Has anyone suggested to take that large windfall in the DPW budget and spend it n your problem,every council member knows about the million plus not spent this fiscal year,let the city use that money from Hal to start work on your problem I would be all for it.
Thats very enlightening Steve, if a taxpayer tried to tie leader drains or anything else into the sewer system they would get in big trouble if caught, but its ok for the city to do? It's way past time that this city stated abiding by the same restrictions it places on its tax payers.
Unfortunately, on Plymouth Avenue, the City has tied its storm drains into the sanitary sewer lines. That means that during heavy rain storms, rainwater floods into the sewer lines and causes sewerage backups into some of our homes.
The Department of Public Works and the Norwalk Water Pollution Control Authority have refused to accept any responsibility for putting the raw sewerage into our homes. Yet, they have a legal obligation to keep the sewerage in their lines out of our homes.
The solution, as City officials have told me, is for the homeowners (like my neighbors and my wife) to spend their own money to prevent the city's raw sewerage from entering into our homes. That response is as callous as the untreated sewerage in people's homes is dangerous. Hopefully, the Common Council will look into the public health dangers my neighbors and I on Plymouth Avenue experience and direct that a responsible solution is implemented that does not burden innocent homeowners.
The other issue that concerns all taxpayers is that Norwalk is taking rainwater, that does not need to be treated as sewerage, and mixing it with our sewerage-- this adds tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater that needs to be treated as sewerage each time it rains, and costs us all much more money.
Steve Colarossi
27 Plymouth Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851