Flooding issues along Belfield Drive to be addressed

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According to Mayor Joseph Polisena and Deputy Police Chief Joseph Razza, ongoing flooding concerns along Belfield Drive are known to the town and are being looked into in an effort to rectify the situation.

In a phone call interview on Wednesday, Polisena stated that he had spoken with the Director of the Department of Transportation, Peter Alviti, that morning regarding the flooding. The mayor said that the flooding has been an ongoing issue for years, but steps are being taken to correct the matter.

Currently, there’s between eight to 10 inches of water covering sections of the road. Engineers from the Department of Transportation have been sent to the affected area to survey the problem.

“I think what they determined was that a piece of property of Hartford Avenue, the old driving range from the former Golden Triangle golf center, that there used to be a culvert there years ago, and that culvert has been compromised,” said Deputy Chief Razza. “The water is not flowing the way that it should be, or that it used to be a very long time ago.”

While he was unsure how the culvert would be repaired, Razza also patrolled the area and said it appeared that construction debris had been dumped in the area that caused the culvert to fail.

In 2010 during the historic flood that hit the area, the low point of Belfield Drive currently affected was under five feet of water and people were blocked. Given the current situation, both the mayor and the deputy believed that an SUV could get through the area, but that it may pose a problem for smaller vehicles.

A pump was brought into the area for several days that was capable of dispersing 2,000 gallons a minute. However, there was no change in the water levels. Polisena said that he is planning a meeting with state and federal officials next week to discuss a solution.

“Public safety is aware of the situation; safety vehicles will still be able to access the area,” said Polisena, who added that there was no safety concern if rescue vehicles needed to be called to the area.

“This is under my watch now, and now we have to find a long-term solution because I don’t want this to continue,” said Polisena.

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  • MichelleG

    Maybe once they address that flooding they would like to address the flooding on Golden View Dr., Bishop Hill, Pine Hill, Lincoln Dr that has been discussed from 2003 - 2018 . Mayor Polisena, do you remember showing me a list of items you wanted to work on when you first became mayor? This flooding was the 3rd item on your list back in 2008/09. Where is it on the list now? You spent $60K on a drainage study with Pare Engineering, you and Zoning said there would be no new building (you can read all the minutes) until drainage is in place and still no drainage. But there are many new homes and developments. And much more tax revenue.

    Now when I call your office, as I have for years, and Janet takes a message she says she will give you the message and I NEVER hear back from you. Public Works tells me I can file a complaint; and start the process all over again! Do you know how many council and zoning meetings I have attended in all those years?

    The video above is sad and I feel for those poor people. I have had my basement flooded many times.

    I recall going to a council meeting years ago and was told by a council member when he was shown photos of my flooded yard, "that's not bad, I have ducks in my yard." Maybe he should have stood before the council with his own complaint. His comment did nothing for the problem and after 15+ years of flooding still nothing is being done.

    I guess we just continue to pay taxes and expect nothing!

    Wednesday, November 28, 2018 Report this