Every time a car or truck drives by Mike Budka’s home on East Lucille Lane in Rotterdam, he says, a cloud of dust 10 to 15 feet high follows.
It’s not exhaust, sand or smoke following the vehicles, but a cloud of rubble from the badly deteriorating road in Masullo Estates, he said.
Budka brought a small plastic bag filled with what he said was rubble from the road to show the Rotterdam Town Board on Wednesday, April 9.
This is rubble from East Lucille Lane, said Budka, who gave the bag to the board members. `When the plows came through this winter they sent this rubble three or four feet into every lawn in the neighborhood.`
Budka said the rubble is so bad that he can’t even open his window without debris penetrating his screens and entering his home.
`It’s a quality of life issue,` said Budka who requested that the board contact the highway department about the issue immediately.
Approximately 10 residents attended the meeting to support Budka’s comments.
Michael O’Connor, another East Lucille Lane resident, said the roads in his development have become `terrible` over years of neglect.
`It needs a layer of blacktop,` said O’Connor. `The road isn’t a road anymore. It might as well be a dirt road.`
O’Connor also noted that his storm drains are frequently blocked, and that while he used to be able to clear them himself, the job has become overwhelming.
`The water has nowhere to go,` said O’Connor, who speculated that poor drainage in the area was directly related to the condition of the roads.
West Lucille Lane resident Dave Banker said he and his neighbors have been waiting for more than four years for drainage relief. He urged the board to take action before next winter.
`We’ve been more than patient,` said Banker. `It’s time to stop studying the area and start doing real work.`
The board voted unanimously on Wednesday to set a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, in Town Hall to discuss the extension of a dry sewer line to Masullo Estates.
The sewer line is part of a $1.35 million reconstruction project and would be paid for by the approximately 90 residents in the neighborhood.
Town Supervisor Steven Tommasone said that if the residents vote for `yes` for sewers, the line could be hooked into the proposed Helderberg Meadows development.
In November, the board approved a new $40,500 study to look at the drainage of property located at the end of East Lucille Lane and bordering the proposed 261-unit development.
Tommasone said details of the sewer project would be available to residents at the public hearing. He said that after listening to the opinions of residents the board would decide either to drop the project or send it to a referendum vote this spring.
`We want the residents to do what’s best for them,` said Tommasone. If the sewers are defeated, we will make a decision between taking action or not taking action on the drainage and we’ll have the roads topped before winter.`
In the meantime, Tommasone said the highway department has already sent a street sweeper to East Lucille Lane to try and take care of the problem. He said town employees also cleared a number of storm drains late last week.
According to Tommasone, the town had been waiting for area asphalt plants to open before making repairs.
`We’ll be over to patch up the road as soon as possible,` he said.“