The problem of pooling water in Pettisville after heavy rains will be addressed with a new storm sewer.
The Fulton Board of County Commissioners authorized Utilities Director Ziad Musallam to secure the grants needed to help pay for a new line in the community. Construction could begin as soon at July 1, 2018, provided the county gets enough funding.
At this time, a special levy is not being considered but could be implemented should other funding sources not yield any fruit. Musallam will be seeking CDBG funding and apply for a second round of grants in September.
To qualify for the CDBG, the county would have to provide an income survey for the project area, provide matching funds and understand there is a $500,000 cap. That would still leave another $500,000 unfunded.
The project will not commence until the funding is secured.
“Funding agencies want to see how serious you are,” Musallam said.
The commissioners heard from two architects and Musallam about the matter.
The engineers from Jones and Henry, Gregg Simon and Chris Hansen, talked of a need for a new line that would run north to the railroad tracks to take pressure off the existing tile. In a second phase, there would be a new line that ran south toward the creek.
Their research dealt with county and local officials, but not any discussions with residents.
There doesn’t seem to be any history of flooding in the town, so they proposed a system desgined to handle a two-year storm (1-2 inches of rain in an hour’s time).
Township officials believe the problem area is in the north where there is ponding of water in people’s yards for long periods of time. The school suffers from runoff in the parking lot.
While the need is not that great, local officials want the storm sewer in place “if Pettisville ever grows.”
The project would require Main Street to be tore up.
Phase 1 would address issues by the railroad tracks and to take the load off the 15-inch tile that goes west away from the town, Simon said.
It will do nothing for the east side of the hamlet, he said.
Commissioner Jeff Rupp said since Phase 1 won’t solve much of the problem, the residents shouldn’t have to pay for it.
Commissioner Paul Barnaby said it’s important the county addresses the situation. It paid for sidewalks as a safety issue in the village and should do the same to get rid of the standing water – breeding grounds for mosquitoes – in light of the Zika virus.
James Pruitt may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com