Dell Road residents still wrestle with water complications

Stanhope — Issues continue to crop up in Stanhope as a result of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and the 30 inches of heavy rain that plagued the borough over six weeks in August, September and October. Dell Road residents came to the borough council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, to discuss flooding issues on their road. “What do we do with the brook on Dell Road that has flooded my house?” asked Patricia Barry, who said she had three inches of water in her home. Barry spent over $10,000 in damages and described water overflowing from the Sagamore Road detention basin as “overflowing like a little Niagara Falls." “I can’t afford that, I did not create that fiasco,” said Barry. FEMA denied Barry’s claim. “We as the borough don’t have the ability to pay the damages,” said Mayor Diana Kuncken. Kuncken said Barry can seek recourse through the municipality’s Joint Insurance Fund (JIF). Administrator Brian McNeilly suggested Barry appeal the FEMA claim on the grounds that the flooding was precipitated by the hurricane. “That day [Sept. 28] was extraordinary,” Kuncken said. “There was no way we could have forseen it.” Mark Forder, another Dell Road resident, said the detention basin has also contributed to flooding at his residence. “It’s very clear it hasn’t been maintained,” said Forder. Forder said his yard has been filled with water and he deals with mosquitoes in the summer and icy conditions in the winter. Kuncken recommended another inspection of the area with the borough engineer. In other business The fire department will be participating in ladder truck training within the borough on Nov. 5 and 6. “We need to get our recycling program more targeted so nothing we should recycle ends up in the garbage,” said Councilman George Graham. One of the reasons, Graham said, is the increase in tipping fees from $89 to $96 per ton, beginning Jan. 1. The borough has tracked down the mortgage companies responsible for a few of the abandoned properties in Stanhope. The borough will be boarding up one of the properties (because its open door presents a hazard) and attaching a lien for the service to the mortgage company that has not been maintaing the property.