Submerged in mud and water, Jefferson Road residents shower officials with complaints.
By: Jennifer Potash
Jefferson Road residents literally stuck in the mud from a drainage repair project staged a protest early Monday morning that effectively shut down construction work on their street.
The residents say they are frustrated and incensed with Princeton Borough officials over the project that began in March and has left them with mud instead of lawns or driveways and gardens submerged in water. Some residents also complain the borough promised to restore lawns with sod but reneged.
So at 6:45 a.m., Margaret Bolton parked her car at the entrance to Humbert Alley, a passageway between Moore Street and Jefferson Road, with a hand-painted wooden sign reading "car stuck in the mud" to illustrate the frustration of months of construction.
Ms. Bolton said the garage at the rear of her residence on Moore Street is filled with water and so is her back garden because a drainage pipe was installed 5 inches too high. Efforts to lower the pipe have not abated the flooding, she said.
And the alleyway is all but impassable, as gravel was removed leaving only muddy trenches, said Ms. Bolton, who navigates through the muck with a pair of knee-high rubber boots.
Judith Budwig of Jefferson Road said the protest was a way to force borough officials to deal with the cacophony of complaints that, until Monday morning, had largely gone unheeded.
"We just don’t know what to do to get clear and honest answers," she said. "The contractor has been exemplary and has bent over backwards to attempt to solve issues, but the homeowners feel the borough engineers have lied to them."
Ms. Budwig said her property line, adjacent to Humbert Alley, was surveyed twice by the borough and she has no way of knowing which survey was correct. An avid gardener, she is worried how the work will affect her landscaping. One large tree on her front lawn appears to have sustained root damage already.
For Bruce Turner and Dan Palko of Jefferson Road, the construction has turned their lawns and driveways into a sea of mud.
Mayor Marvin Reed came out to the site Monday and listened to the residents’ complaints. A meeting with the residents, borough staff and elected officials was set up for 3 p.m. today. Mayor Reed also invited the residents to address the Borough Council tonight.
"I know this is hard to tolerate," Mayor Reed said. "We want to do something that is satisfactory to all."
Borough Councilman Joseph O’Neill, the Democratic candidate for mayor, also toured the muddy yards with the residents.
Jim Firestone, who is running for Borough Council under the Citizens Fusion Party banner, also met with the residents.
"I think this is another example of how the borough refused to listen to the citizens," he said.
Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said he takes the complaints very seriously and every effort is under way to work out the problems the neighbors have had with the project.
Borough Engineer Carl Peters said he and his staff are working on solutions to resolve the flooding problems in Ms. Bolton’s garage and garden and the other complaints the neighbors have raised.
"We want to restore the property to good condition and also have them drained properly," Mr. Peters said.
Mr. Peters and his deputy engineer, Scott Whitlock, were at the site Thursday to address the problem, Mr. Peters said.
He disputed assertions that his staff was unresponsive to complaints and concerns and said there have been numerous conversations with residents in person and on the phone. The project specifications call for the work to conclude in late July, Mr. Peters said.
Michael Dalton, project manager with LBD Contractors Inc. based in Montgomery, said many of the delays stem from numerous design changes by the borough.
Mr. Peters contends many of problems stem from the contractor’s lack of cooperation with the borough.
"We’ve had a lot of difficulty with this contractor," Mr. Peters said.
Both Mr. Dolan and Mr. Peters agree the wet spring, with almost 30 days of rain, slowed work at times.
The long-scheduled drainage repair project for Jefferson Road, Greenview Avenue and Humbert Street was intended to alleviate basement flooding and other property damage stemming from water runoff from the Princeton Cemetery. Most of the residents said the drainage repairs made a huge difference during the wet spring with little to no flooding in the basements.