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Dear Mr. Boro President,
My name is John Surowiec. My wife and I live at 271 Montreal Ave with our two small children. We have been here 6 years this October. Our house is located at the corner of Montreal ave and Platt.
We love our neighborhood, however, over the course of the past 6 years we have dealt with a massive amount of storm water coming down our street and over the corner cap and curbs, or lack there of curbs, and down our sidewalk. Most of the time it’s like a river coming down our block and sidewalk. Most days when it rains and during the winter after snow melt it constantly happens. I have to wear knee high water boots to get my children on and off the bus those days and to get to my car parked in the street. Some days the water is over the bumper of my minivan, I’m sure that’s not good for it.
It is extremely dangerous during the winter when the water refreezes in the street and on the sidewalk. Especially If I don’t have time to create a path through the snow in the street and down the block for the water to travel and drain. Not to mention the salt that travels down the sidewalk with the melting snow from the street that’s ruining my sidewalk.
The main problem here is we do not have a storm drain on our corner to help with the amount of water draining here. The storm drain is located down the block on Hylan blvd. The way the area streets are pitched to drain the water, our corner collects water from almost ever block in the area and then it filters down the street to the Hylan blvd storm drain. The conversion of all this water at our corner causes the issues we’re dealing with.
On school and work days we get a lot of traffic traveling up and down our block and along Platt street. A lot of time using the blocks as a cut through, going over the speed limit to beat the lights on Hylan blvd. Platt has no stop signs or speed bumps from Guyon ave to Chesterton, but that’s another issue to which the DOT has done nothing about. To get to the point, the ponding and pooling of the water makes it dangerous from drivers and pedestrians here. Theirs families and people that walk to and from school, PS50 is on Platt and Adelaide, and work, the train is on Guyon and the railroad. Sometimes walking in the street to avoid getting soaked. I know my children and I will be doing so when they start PS50 this fall.
Over the last five and a half years I have requested a storm drain twice with Councilman Matteo. Both times his office has responded back to me saying they would reach out to the proper channels to help. I greatly appreciate his help. However, that is the extent of the request, I here nothing further after on this issue. Wether the DEP doesn’t look into it or they do not think it’s feasible to do, I get no other response. Maybe a storm drain is not feasible, maybe the DOT can come fix the low lying corner cap and raise the curb where the water seems to be going over and then coming down the sidewalk. I see their putting new curbs all along Father Capp and widening the street one foot for no apparent reason everyday.
Maybe I’m the only one with cause for concern and cause to request because I live here. I have to see and deal with it all the time. The passerby, the driver, it doesn’t effect them the same way. It’s a few seconds of their time and then it’s over. Even other neighbors that live on my block. Once the water gets 2 or 3 house pass me they do not have the same issues, the surge is over and it flows differently. Whatever it is some form of action needs to be taken.
I am a city employee, a tax payer, a voter, a concerned father, husband and resident. I pay enough in property tax that something like this should not to be a issue. I hope you can help solve this problem. Even if it is a easy solution as raising the curb at the corner to keep the water in the street.
I have plenty more pictures I can send. I also have video if you’d like to see.
I have sent this email and have been in correspondence with Mr. Matteo and Rose from his office. I’ve explained in detail the situation to her, they will be reaching out to the proper departments once again for help and answers. I’m reaching out to you for help as well. The more people working together to solve this problem the better.
Thank you for you time,
John Surowiec.