Roselle residents seek flood help

After last weekend's storm worsened ongoing flooding at several Roselle homes, a handful of residents implored the village board for help Monday.

Three residents from the Seasons subdivision on Newport Street submitted photos of flood damage in their yards and homes, saying water drainage is an ongoing problem and storms like last Friday's are unmanageable.

"I have lived there five years, called the city several times and the man I spoke with stated he knows there are not enough drains," subdivision resident Judy Prena said. "I'm looking to see if the city will help rectify this problem."

Public works director Rob Burns said an under-drain could adequately fix flooding in the subdivision, but it would require delicate work around utilities, cost-sharing with neighbors and all residents must agree to move structures like sheds.

"There have been situations like this with five people involved; two people don't want to move their shed, some don't want to share the cost or some don't want to let us on their property - if that happens, the project dies," Burns said.

Village officials also heard a more severe story from Anthony Tumminaro, who lives on east Pine Street and suffered intense flooding last weekend and in September 2008. He said the property did not flood for the first four years he lived there with his wife and daughter, but last weekend his yard amassed more than 100,000 gallons of water that damaged his home with sewage and destroyed his garage.

"I am begging, pleading with each of you on the board to install a single drain pipe, even if I have to dig the ditch myself," Tumminaro said.

Burns said the problems on Tumminaro's property are so severe that a storm sewer costing up to $20,000 is required.

Burns and Trustee Terrence Wittman said the village cannot afford to build such expensive storm sewers to benefit just one homeowner.

"My concern is setting a precedent going in and installing $20K sewer lines... A lot of these older neighborhoods were built when there weren't any (sewer) rules," Wittman said. "And I feel for this gentleman and his home. I am not mean. I just don't see how we can do this fiscally."

Tumminaro contended he does not expect full flood relief - just some cooperation.

"I don't expect to be completely protected from an 8-inch rain," he said. "But the storm sewers in front of my house weren't even close to overflowing. If they could take even half of that water, my garage might have been safe."

Trustees Barbara Rendall Hochstadt and Richard Rhode agreed flooding is a "quality-of-life" issue for many residents.

Although Burns said there are hundreds of older homes in Roselle that experience flooding, Rendall Hochstadt directed the public works department to compile a list of the most affected areas so officials have a better idea of how to help.

"I think it would be a good idea to understand where these problems are and what we recommend to the homeowners," she said.