NEW ALBANY —
Though New Albany workers cleaned catch basins and examined drainage lines along the corridor of Elm and 15th streets Friday, residents in the area are still outraged by the damage they’ve incurred due to recent flooding.
John Mullins said his 1992 Pontiac Firebird convertible is one of only about 500 left on the road. But after flood water penetrated the car during a downpour last week, Mullins may never have the same ride again.
“I went [Tuesday] to have the damage to my car estimated. His exact words were ‘I’m sorry, it’s a total loss’,” Mullins said. “I said you’ve got to be kidding me.”
It turns out the cost of fixing the Pontiac would be greater than its worth, thus insurance would likely pay for the value of the vehicle instead of repairs.
Now Mullins is waiting to have the foundation of his family’s house inspected.
“Mine is going to be OK as far as the costs go, but my neighbors across the street ... they’re going to be crying when they see their bill.”
Since December, Mullins — who lives along Elm — said his property and street have been flooded at least seven times. When weather forecasts call for rain, Mullins goes into alert mode.
“Every time it starts to rain or one of us hears it’s going to rain, we’ll go around and start banging on everybody’s door” telling them to move their cars to high ground, Mullins said.
“It’s like a neighborhood flood watch — it’s kind of sad.”
Mullins and a handful of his neighbors appeared before the City Council Thursday to detail their frustration. One lady said the problems seemed to amplify after CSX Railroad Corp. elevated its tracks along 15th Street as part of a sewer project ordered by the city.
What that created was basically a dam that prevents rain water from draining properly, Mullins argued.
Joe Ham, supervisor for the city’s Stormwater Department, said he doesn’t know that CSX could really do anything differently.
“The railroad operates off of federal standards, I’m sure they’re following those standards,” he said.
“They follow their rules and regulations and we’re kind of caught in the middle.”
Though Councilman Dan Coffey criticized the stormwater department Thursday for not being responsive to the resident’s complaints, Utilities Director Brad Kessans said that’s not the case.
One resident stated he called the department multiple times but received no response until recently.
“We’re really putting a lot of investigation into it and trying to be proactive,” he said.
For the 15th Street area, that meant inspecting the pipes to look for blockage.
“The lines appear to be clear, but we did clean the bottom of the catch basins to give them a little more capacity,” Ham said.
Drainage and stormwater have been hot topics since last August when Southern Indiana was pounded with flooding, yet didn’t receive any federal aid.
New Albany appropriated $200,000 for tort claims relating to the Aug. 4 storm, and re-appropriated the money earlier this year. City Attorney Shane Gibson said that all but a few tort claims from last year have been resolved.
As for new tort claims, Gibson said his office will review the merits of each case to see if the city was at fault.
“I’m not aware of the city being negligent there. Now that we found out there’s an issue, we’re down there trying to fix it and work through it,” Gibson said.
He added that new regulations required CSX to raise their tracks, and that it would likely be difficult to prove the company was negligent if they were following procedure.
CSX worked with the city last year when the Sewer Department funded a project to upgrade sanitary lines underneath the tracks. CSX spokeswoman Carla Groleau said the tracks were raised so New Albany could complete its project.
“We do not believe our work has impacted drainage issues, however we would certainly go back out and reevaluate our work,” she said.
The council approved a new drainage masterplan this summer, but has yet to identify any funding mechanisms for the $22.4 million in projects called for in the document beyond stormwater fees.
The council raised stormwater fees by $1 a month last year, which was expected to generate about $440,000 in additional revenue this year.
Yet the city attempted to get federal funding for a project that officials said would have addressed many of the problems along 15th Street. But New Albany’s application was denied last month.
The grant would have come through federal Community Development Block Grant funds earmarked for stormwater projects. The state — specifically the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, or OCRA — was charged with awarding the CDBG money.
Twenty-eight Indiana communities stand to receive funding, including rural towns such as Marengo, Grandview and North Liberty.
New Albany being denied didn’t sit well with Mayor Doug England.
The communities that received funding “don’t have near the drainage problems that we do,” he said.
New Albany will apply to OCRA again for a stormwater grant if money is available, England said.
Mullins credited England for working with the neighborhood after they brought their concerns forward. Still, he said they want a resolution that will permanently fix the problem.
England said when the catch basins were constructed in the area, the paving didn’t stretch all the way to the mouth of the drains and thus there’s a slight opening that contributes to the flooding.
Mullins plans on sending a photograph package complete with written accounts from neighbors about the flooding problems to the state.
He said the fact New Albany was denied when smaller communities received funding through OCRA doesn’t make sense.
“It does not take a genius to figure out there’s a problem here,” he said. “Why aren’t our homes as important as anybody else’s?”.
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Related Photos
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The railroad tracks through New Albany run down the center of 15th Street and across Elm Street. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
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07-22 Flood2.w.jpg Submitted photo
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