Mayor Anthony LaMantia took a moment during last week’s Jamesburg Borough Council meeting, the first since Hurricane Irene, to dispel a commonly heard rumor.
The dam at Middlesex County’s Manalapan Lake was operated properly, he said, and was not the cause of the severe flooding in the borough during the Aug. 27-28 storm.
“On the contrary to what you read in the newspapers, the dam did not break,” LaMantia said during the Sept. 14 meeting. “[The] county did a real good job, because [the water level] was down to nothing before the storm and it took a matter of an hour to fill up from the rain.”
In addition to the water levels being lowered prior to the hurricane, all five floodgates were opened, he said.
“The dam was down like it was supposed to be and operated properly,” he said. LaMantia and other officials have said previously that the flooding was the result of torrential rains that sent water pouring into the municipality from as far away as Route 33 in Millhurst, flowing into Manalapan Lake, which in turn overflowed into the town itself.
The mayor said last week that he has met with the borough engineer and others regarding ways to address future flooding events at locations in the borough including Forsgate Drive, Courtney Street and Gatzmer Avenue. During committee reports, council members provided additional updates regarding damages and ongoing repair work in the wake of Hurricane Irene.
Councilman Thomas Busco offered an update on the Buckelew mansion, which suffered extensive damage on the northwest corner of the building. The historic building’s foundation was “severely compromised,” he said. Temporary emergency work was initiated to address the foundation until an estimate for full repairs can be obtained and claims submitted to the borough insurance company and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Without the temporary work, “it is likely that the entire foundation would have caved in,” Busco said.
The mansion, also known as Lakeview, was among the hardest-hit buildings in Jamesburg. The historic home and museum, which has been under renovations for several years, stood in the direct path of rushing waters from two directions.
Busco also said there was minor flooding at Borough Hall, on Perrineville Road, and at the Senior Citizen Center, Stevens Avenue.
Council President Otto Kostbar said two police vehicles were destroyed by floodwaters during emergency services and will need to be replaced. The 2004 Dodge Durango and 2005 Crown Victoria could cost approximately $60,000 to replace. Kostbar said he hopes to pay for at least one vehicle with $14,000 in insurance funds received for the two vehicles flooded in the storm. That vehicle would be replaced through lease-purchase installments. A special meeting may have to be called prior to the council’s next regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 12 in order to act on the purchase.
LaMantia and council members thanked borough police, fire, first aid and Office of Emergency Management personnel, as well as volunteers and local business owners for their work during and after the storm. He also recognized those who assisted at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School, which served as a shelter to as many as 50 people during the storm.
Resident Brian Taylor echoed the sentiment.
“Jamesburg is truly an amazing town. It doesn’t go unnoticed among the residents and taxpayers,” he said.
Councilwoman Barbara Carpenter publicly thanked the residents, school representatives and business owners who have donated money, food, clothes and school supplies to those most affected by the storm.
Sylvia Naughton of the Little Wonders Day School presented the Borough Council with $300 raised during a bake sale that the students held to benefit local victims of the hurricane.