High Water Hits Gerrard Avenue(posted Apr 3) The April 3 intense storm created water high enough on Gerrard Avenue to capture the town's attention. Speedway Town Manager John McCurtain, Robert Wetnight of the Street Department and Storm Water Drainage Board Member Paul Bongen gathered at both corners of 21st and Gerrard Avenue to watch the water surcharge from the storm drains, flow down the street and into the fringes of homeowners' yards. The street department barricaded the road because the high water was nearing the heights of car bumpers in some areas of the road. Lucy Tingle, a resident in the 2000 block of Gerrard Avenue, greeted McCurtain at the corner to show him the water surcharging from the storm sewer. The high waters make Tingle jittery because of last year's April 14 storm that sent the surface water over the streets and into her basement. She told McCurtain that her house is located at the lowest point, so most of the water collects in her yard. Bongen was on the other side of the road watching the water surcharge from the storm sewer and gushing down about 20 feet into the combined storm water and sewer pipe. The surcharging problem started when the town tried to collect more surface water from Lynhurst Drive by sending it to the storm sewer pipe on 21st Street. Bongen said the rising waters have always occurred on this street. "I grew up on Fisher Avenue and we would come over to wade in the water," he said. However, he concluded the problem is probably growing because of the increasing number of intense rains events. |
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