East Mountain residents describe stormwater issues at community meeting

Dec. 1—SCRANTON — Stormwater problems have plagued Mary Anne Casey's property at 1500 Froude Ave. on East Mountain for decades.

The flow often floods her yard, ponds in the road, encroaches on her home and, in the winter, freezes into a dangerous sheet of ice that can make crossing the driveway a perilous task.

Casey was among roughly 50 East Mountain residents who turned out Wednesday to a community meeting at Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School on East Elm Street, where the Harrisburg-based firm Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc. solicited input on stormwater and drainage issues.

It was an early step in a process that will see HRG complete a stormwater study of East Mountain, identifying problems and potential solutions. Scranton is using $178,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for the study, and earmarked nearly $20 million of the city's ARPA allocation to address stormwater issues across the city.

"This is basically our public kick-off," HRG Senior Project Manager George White told the crowd. "We're here to work with you guys to try to solve some of the problems you've had up here for decades. ... Our goal is to reduce public property damage and maintain a safe environment for you folks to live in up here. We're not going to be able to solve all the problems, but we're going to solve as many as we can."

White opened the meeting with a presentation that identified several areas of concern and outlined steps HRG will take during the study process, including the collection of public comments. He then opened the floor to attendees, who described longstanding flooding problems, property damage and other stormwater-prompted frustrations.

Beverly Oravitz of 1788 E. Mountain Road described water inundating her backyard, noting nearby pipes and a small trench often can't handle the flow.

"Everything just backs right up," Oravitz said. "We're getting water in our cellars. Our basements are getting destroyed."

HRG took the names and addresses of those who outlined stormwater problems to inform its future work. But White also encouraged residents to submit information through an online community survey form for reporting stormwater flooding and drainage issues.

The form can be accessed directly at bit.ly/scrantonflooding. Residents can also visit scrantonpa.gov/arpa and click the stormwater and flooding community survey banner. Residents living in other parts of the city can use the online form to report stormwater issues in their neighborhoods.

Among other elements of the East Mountain study, HRG will conduct hydrologic modelling of existing drainage patterns, develop conceptual plans for drainage improvement and craft preliminary plans for stormwater projects. The firm will ultimately present proposed plans at a public meeting.

Beyond the allocated ARPA funding, Scranton is also pursuing grants for future stormwater projects. City council introduced a resolution Tuesday approving a grant application seeking up to $20 million through a state Department of Community and Economic Development program for various stormwater projects in the city. If successful, Scranton would use ARPA funding as the grant match.

While a lot of work remains, Casey said she was encouraged by Wednesday's community meeting and is optimistic about the East Mountain study.

"I feel finally someone is listening to us," she said. "Finally someone wants to hear all of our problems and come up with a solution. It's not going to be overnight. We realize that, but we feel good."

Contact the writer: jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141; @jhorvathTT on Twitter.