Twice before, McKownville residents have attempted to form a new drainage district to tackle the hamlet’s stormwater problems. But town officials aren’t treading water anymore.
The Guilderland Town Board on Tuesday, April 2, discussed its map, plan and report for establishing the McKownville Drainage District, which were drawn up after town officials were urged by residents to revisit the issue. The Delaware Engineering report estimates completing all needed repairs across four target areas will cost a total of $6.7 million. Town officials plan to establish the district to tax McKownville residents and complete repairs over time.
“Over the years, we have applied for grants and funding to try and get some of these improvements done to alleviate some of the issues that we have had in McKownville,” Town Supervisor Kenneth Runion said. “The problems arise mainly on the northern side of Route 20 and those homes in there were built many years ago, probably in the 1920s or ’30s.”
The town has $500,000 available for McKownville projects, which was made available through Sen. Neil Breslin as a member item. The drainage district designation also allows the town apply for additional federal and state grant opportunities.
Runion added handling capital projects in-house could help reduce the total cost of the repairs.
The plan chiefly involves creating new catch basins, adding residential sump pump connection and methods to redirect stormwater to several downstream detention basins. Some streets would also be milled to lower its elevation to improve drainage.
Don Reeb, president of the McKownville Improvement Association, said more than 400 of the hamlet’s 600 residents signed a petition asking for the drainage district. Of the people reached, Reeb said about 25 people expressed opposition.
The drainage district would cover only parts of McKownville, Runion said. The district would roughly be limited to the area north of Western Avenue and to the commercial properties on the southern side of Western Avenue.
Resident Martha Harausz said hamlet property owners have tried to do something about their drainage problems “for decades” and was pleased to see work being done to correct the issue.
“If we had been able to start … 35 years ago when I first moved into the neighborhood, we would probably be a lot further along,” Harausz said. “By forming this district, it will allow the town to go on the alleyways to make some of the repairs … which is always a difficult decision when a town member has to go on private property, all kinds of things can happen.”
Town officials have tired to help residents on an “emergency basis,” according to Runion, but it’s a private drainage system so the town is limited in how much service it can provide. This also didn’t allow the town to monitor the system and catch problems earlier.
“When you do it on an emergency basis, usually somebody ends up with a problem that lasts for a sustained period of time,” Runion said, “whether it’s the likelihood of excessive flooding in their basement or possibility of a basement collapsing or an unsafe condition due to misquotes or other types of stagnant water that exists in backyards.”
Reeb said enthusiasm for the project in McKownville is “overwhelming” since many residents have tried for years to find a solution.
“It is something that people dreamed about for many, many years to see their stormwater problems reduced,” Reeb said.
The McKownville Fire Department typically receives 40 to 60 calls every year for pumping out basements, Reeb said. The amount of calls he has received over the years from neighbors seeking help has been “significant,” he added.
Runion recalled the last drainage incident he could remember, which was a problem in the back alley along Elmwood and Parkwood streets.
Two or three lots were significantly flooded, he said, so the Highway Department pumped out the area “for a period of time.” The town only has one pump though, so when other issues occurred around town the pump would need to be removed.
“That flooding just continued … and it just was filled with water,” Runion said. “Eventually, after I think around three weeks of pumping, we got to the point where the ground was stable enough that the town could go in and dig to look at this problem.”
Only the residents within the McKownville Drainage District would be taxed, at 26 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, which would generate around $54,000 annually. The typical one family home would pay around $28 annually.
The board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed drainage district during its next meeting on Tuesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. Runion said all residents within the district would be notified of the proposed district. The board cancelled its Tuesday, April 16, meeting.
A copy of Delaware Engineering’s report can be picked up at Town Hall.