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Norwalk: Alvord Says $10 million Needed For Pipe Cleaning


by turfgrrl


May 23rd, 2007 · 10 Comments

At the end of Patrick Linsey’s article on the flooding contracts approved last night at the Common Council meeting, is this line:

But the $500,000 over two years budgeted by the council for clearing storm drains is just a start, Alvord noted.

Said Alvord: “We’ve got $10 million-worth of pipe cleaning to do in this city.”

Now, in all the meetings that occurred over the budget and flooding issues, this $10 million dollar figure was never mentioned. What was mentioned was that the only money requested was for the $500,000 because that was all that could be done this year. Yet, other towns manage to do more regarding their flooding. Some towns are in the same predicament as we are. Here’s a highlight from the Darien Flooding Blog:

Here’s the outcome of the May 16th meeting between the flooded residents and Darien Town officials. Last night the Board of Selectmen presented a “draft” of their policy to “Measures to Address Town-wide Flooding”. It’s a limp attempt to show concern and action. It’s missing one key factor… FUNDING.

The draft policy refers to a ”Public/Private Partnership” which got a lot of discussion. What does this mean? Selectwoman Barbara Thorne suggests that if the Town pays for part of the clean up then the private sector will contribute funds to assist. Again the issue of private property owners cleaning out their portion of waterways was discussed.

Funding was touched upon by John N. Crary, Darien’s Town Administrator, He suggests that people who flood should be put in a special tax assessment district and pay more taxes. That idea drew a lot of flack from last night’s attendees. The suggestion only demonstrated how little the Town understands the issues of flooding. Citizens who attended the meeting do NOT have a watercourse on their property and are experiencing flooding due to the overuse of watercourses as the town’s drainage. Why on earth would Darien penalize flooding residents with a tax? What about taxing homes and businesses upstream who are draining their watershed into the watercourse? Why not tax everyone since everyone will benefit from dryer roads and services protected from flood damage?

The Town’s Environmental Protecton Commission (EPC), is now also the Flood Control and Erosion Board, headed by Peter Hillman. Citizens are learning there are environmental issues that are part of the flooding issues (clear cutting of trees, blocked watercourses, building on wetlands, etc.). Will the EPC have authority to “police” and enforce appropriate consequences upon violators? God forbid this position is looked upon as a traffic warden or dog catcher! What’s an appropriate fine for a property owner who creates $ millions of water damageto homes and property due to ignoring EPC regulations? There has to be enough teeth in the law and enforcement to make property owners aware in order to stop the blatant violations.

Peter Hillman made a significant comment. The EPC has no budget. Remember that!

Money. It all boils down to money. The Board of Selectman moved the $15 million dollar police station renovation on to their agenda. Police are part of the Town’s infrastructure and an expectation of its citizens. Adequate drainage is also part of the infrastructure and a very reasonable expectation. It’s hard to swallow the Board of Selectman’s commitment to infrastructure and public safety when the Town Hall’s Stony Brook Pond cleaning has been out to bid for FOUR YEARS. Is this the amount of time the Town intends to allow private property owners to clean watercourses that are putting their neighbors in imminent peril?

If Alvord knows that we have $10 million worth of pipe cleaning to do in the city, why wasn’t this presented to the council so that they could anticipate what dollars it will really take to fix the flooding problem.

Perhaps its time to dust off that Flood Control and Erosion Board and start attacking the problem.

source: The Hour, Alvord: RR culverts culprits in flooding, By PATRICK R. LINSEY, May 23, 2007

Tags: In the News · Norwalk

10 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: Alvord Says $10 million Needed For Pipe Cleaning”



  • 1 Anonymous // May 23, 2007 at 2:56 pm

    500k for two years of reaming? At that rate they’ll be cleaning for the next forty years. Another gem for the master plan bwahahahahahaha…

  • 2 Anonymous // May 23, 2007 at 3:03 pm

    make that 20 years, Einstein..

  • 3 Anonymous // May 23, 2007 at 3:24 pm

    How can the Hour not pick up on that $10 million in their own story? DPW has never offered a figure for what it would take to complete a fix of our sewers.

  • 4 Mike Lyons // May 23, 2007 at 4:35 pm

    Hal Alvord needs to translate these comments he makes in the press into concrete proposals for action in his capital budget requests.

    During the recent budget season (when I was checking past minutes to see if the flooding issue had been brought to us on the Board of Estimate before this year [it hadn’t]), I asked Tom Hamilton (Finance Director) to check on City actions in the past. He responded “I’d also note that very little capital money has been requested by DPW in the past to address drainage issues. For instance, in the FY 2006-07 DPW Capital Budget Request, the DPW requested $1,230,000, and over the Five Year Capital Plan, the total requested for drainage projects was only $3,170,000. None of the areas that are garnering all of the attention this year (Buckingham/Lockwood, Olmstead/Fitch area, and Noah’s Lane) are anywhere to be found in the Five Year Plan that was developed by the department last year. Of the projects that were identified in the Five Year Plan last year, none of them make reference to flooding problems into peoples’ houses. For instance, funding was requested for a Keeler Brook Storm Water Study (which was funded at the full request of $150,000), but the description of the project indicates that this is to address street flooding, and storm water flooding that enters the sanitary sewer system (and hence is a concern of the DEP); there is no mention of any homes being affected by the problem. Likewise, the Mary Austin at Silvermine Ave Drainage Project (which was not funded in FY 2006-07) is to address a street flooding problem. The problem of flooding into peoples’ homes is not anywhere to be found in DPW’s Five Year Capital Plan from last year.”

    As the City’s finance board we’re definitely ready to tackle the flooding issue long-term, but the planning/engineering for it has to come from DPW first. We need plans and budgets from Hal — in their absence, the “$10 million” comments in the press leave us all scratching our heads …

  • 5 anon // May 23, 2007 at 7:18 pm

    Mike you are correct in your assesment of the lack of requests. Could it be that the former administration killed the requests?

  • 6 itsridiculous // May 23, 2007 at 9:01 pm

    Mike: Two words: Negligence and Liability. I defy anyone to find documentation from any city official in that timeframe that admits to homes flooding versus streets flooding. Here’s the message from the lawyers: “if homes are flooding, and you ask for money to fix the problem, then you admit there is a problem…….” get the picture? We can’t even get a detailed plan timetable for this year, and someone might ask for a 5 year plan? Right. We’re sick and tired, and the gig is up. We were nice, so very nice, this year. We even politely asked for the money that he NEGLECTED to ask for. We played by the rules again this year and we got screwed. Next year, not so much.

  • 7 itsridiculous // May 23, 2007 at 11:06 pm

    Alvord August 2006 (not aware of city liability)- “Culvert in East Norwalk is so blocked heavy duty equipment being brought in.”
    Alvord December 2006 (might be some city liability)-
    “Culvert not blocked - heavy rain caused the flooding.”
    Alvord May 2007 (shift liability to MetroNorth)- “Culvert so blocked it needs “dynamite” to clear.”
    Ridiculous.

  • 8 Anonymous // May 24, 2007 at 7:34 am

    Alvord, quoted in this morning’s Norwalk Minute, again weighs in with his expertise regarding the possibility of graves which may lie outside the walls of Pine Island Cemetery: “speculative.”

    Sounds like anything that may threaten his little domain over at DPW gets his mouth working overtime. Too bad his mind seems to be disengaged.

  • 9 Mike Lyons // May 24, 2007 at 9:09 am

    itsridiculous - Interesting point about liability. But if that is the concern, the City could always finesse it legally. It doesn’t have to admit responsibility for the problem in order to take actions to correct it. The City isn’t “responsible” for fires at private homes, either, but that doesn’t prevent us from sending in the Fire Department!

    When I started looking into this (as noted above) I was amazed that neither the DPW Director or DPW Committee had even put in a REQUEST for any funding to address these flooding issues before this year. And I don’t see any legitimate legal reason not to do so.

    We scraped together about $3 million to start addressing the problems this year. But what we need is a well-planned DPW plan / capital budget request to really take care of them.

  • 10 Mr Greenpeace // May 24, 2007 at 9:53 am

    to psting number 3,,The Hour is geared to report the news given to them not attained by good hard coverage. Yes there will be examples given now that I have said this so lets see the defense. The Brownfield commission has been steered away from the most hazardous contamination and the most idustrial pollutants spewed in So Norwalk. Meadow and Woodward st) why is this Mr mayor? The crime involving guns are on the rise here in Norwalk and until another killing we won’t read about the topic( we are due for another).

    The lights for safety are on during the day on water st and surrounding streets but are off at night, do we as a city pay for this? Be more effective to issue flashlights I suppose and to think I’m the only one who has seen this..must be a guy that thinks safety thing HUH?

    To posting number 8 I didn’t like your posting your taking and posting good material I wanted to use but its ok I’m sure the way this city works I’ll have more to generate,,and to those who think this site is for trashing our politicians and dpw head well stick around if you want fact this site reeks of it and that is a bad thing? Maybe the critics can pay my tax bill they seem to like theirs enough.

    I stay silent I see the worse managers the worst workings of depts that simply spend the money , create red herrings at budget time so when its time to help the average Joe there is no money.

    Back to the Hour where did anyone read or when did anyone read (yes the Advocate takes second place in lame typical reporting less than good reporting) environmental news/ who knew after the highly visible hazardous waste day how much solid liquid and other waste was collected taking it off the streets out of the landfills? the police detail alone ( I love these guys no one gave them credit for traffic control two cruisers two men didn’t sit around and drink coffee they were swamped with a half mile backup off the lot that held hundreds of cars to the point they drove to the end of the line) good job guys! No reporting no pictures no nothing like it didn’t exist shame on the newspapers not even good enough for my dogs to go on ( I buy real papers for them)

    I am so sorry to trash talk this city and if anyone disagrees with my outlook I’ll change to a more of a proactive stance and trash the entire city efforts to hide the truth.

    I enjoy reading the truth and where i simply made all this up maybe for those who only read the comics maybe we can have someone illustrate this so no one feels left out.

    I suppose i can go now and read the outfall i know its not going to change, it can’t we don’t have enough anger as a city to change it just talk about it armchair politics they call it..wonder what kind of chairs the DPW have?

    for anyone to steer towards the old administration posting number 5 i live in the here and now and see you have plenty to say about the old, I’m glad you havn’t suggested it was FDR’s fault as well you would of lost all credibility.

    until next time all be well think about what this weekend means support our troops as well , so when they come home we can use them to patrol Norwalk. Now that the crime has seeped out of So Norwalk you will see aggressive police PR because crime now has moved throughout the city to where the real folk who count live. OH i just can’t wait for the next news conferance and wonder what will change? the weather?

    Mr Greenpeace