Displaying items by tag: glenwood avenue

As far back as 1924 there are published reports of drainage issues and flooding on Glenwood Avenue in Merchantville. In The Morning Post (Camden, New Jersey) on December 23, 1924 the borough highway committee was reported to be working with Delaware Township (Cherry Hill) on railroad drainage issues. In July of 1925 eleven residents filed a complaint with Council about the lack of a proper drainage in the thoroughfare, and in September of 1926 authorization of $1,250 for a storm sewer to drain "the lake that forms at Holly and Glenwood avenues." In 1938, 1939 and 1940 referencing garage and home flooding, a county sponsored WPA ditch drainage project that would cross Glenwood Avenue thereby overwhelming the runoff system and opposition to the project by Merchantville's borough engineer and Council. In a May 1947 Courier-Post article Borough Council requested that Freeholders supply storm sewers to drain Glenwood Avenue stating, "Drainage of the area, which has been flooded several times, has been problem for nearly 20 years." and in August 1950 police reports that the 200 block of Glenwood was flooded and "pedestrians and cars could not get through". Borough Council reported in December 1951 that the drainage project on Glenwood Avenue was "making normal progress".  Again, after a major storm in June 1969, flooding was reported on the "200 block of Glenwood Avenue." Ten years later, in March of 1979, resident Grace Green sent a letter to the Courier-Post chastising Councilwoman Yates and the mayor for condoning the existing water problem at Holly and Glenwood. The next searchable news about this comes from a Philadelphia Inquirer article on November 10, 1989 and p.2  titled, "Merchantville attacks problem of flooding on Glenwood Ave." It discusses the response to a serious flooding issue in October of that year. In 1992 the Inquirer, page 2 recorded the drainage issue as seen through the eyes of resident, Bob Press, sharing tales of knee-deep flooding four times a year. And from 1994, in a series of four articles - May, July, August and September - found in the Courier-Post and Philadelphia Inquirer, the ongoing saga of Glenwood Avenue is memorialized. In January of 1995 an $85,000 contract was awarded by Mayor and Council to VSP, Inc., Haddonfield to relocate and repair storm drains and pipes on Glenwood Avenue. 

On Monday, July 8th, Mayor and Council heard from residents of Glenwood Avenue about the continuing issue of street flooding. Reports of flooding on the 200 block of Glenwood Avenue in Merchantville can be found in newspapers as far back as 1938. In 1979, flooding along Glenwood and Holly Avenues was sited as issue and in 1989 Borough Engineers, Remington and Vernick, advised the municipality to increase the size of storm sewer pipes from 18" to 24"and replace the system of drainage pipes along the railroad embankment. In 1991 the Borough appropriated $25,000 in funds to enlarge the storm drains, then in 1992 an additional $22,800 to increase drain capacity caused by heavy storms. In 1995, Mayor Patrick Brennan announced an $85,00 contract with VPS, Inc. to solve years of flooding by relocating two storm pipes, installed in 1945 along the 200 block of Glenwood, to the Holly Road intersection; increasing the storm pipe size from 18" to 27"; and, creating more inlets to catch rainwater. Today, Mayor Ted Brennan sent a letter to the residents of Glenwood Avenue detailing actions taken to date, outlining plans to alleviate future issues, and announcing a follow up meeting in that neighborhood on August 6th.