Comment received in the news feed on November 8th by user bmcpherson

bmcpherson about 4 hours ago

HIGHLAND DRIVE DRAINAGE PROJECT This is the sub project that is causing the most frustration, disappointment, and anger among owners for a variety of reasons.1) the amount of water flowing over the road onto property on the west side never exceeds a few inches, and only persists for a few days. The ground in that area is quite permeable and water gets absorbed quickly. It does not pond for weeks like you see in some farmer's fields in the Spring that delays planting.2) the road has never washed out, nor has the road been impassable to vehicle traffic. If this was the case, maybe there would be a case for an infiltration system. This is not a natural disaster waiting to happen as might occur along a major river where roads, river banks or homes get washed out or where roads are impassable for emergency vehicles.3) the property on the west side has never been damaged since the soil absorbs the water within a few days. ?? Have any of the owners in that area complained about permanent damage or not being able to access their driveway on Have Your SAY??4) At the most recent Council meeting, an Agenda item pertaining to flooding on resident's property in Pt Clark was considered after a Petition was signed by 39 residents in the neighbourhood. ?? Is a Petition a requirement to invoke Council action and the Drainage Act???? Was a petition ever circulated and submitted by owners along Bruce Beach Rd concerning the Spring drainage flow below Highland Dr?? ?? If not, how and why did the Drainage Act get invoked and the consultants hired, if there was not even minimal concern among property owners along Bruce Beach Rd?? As you will read in the Have Your Say comments, owners are satisfied with the status quo since the majority are not affected by the few days of wet road and property during Spring runoff. And, on Have Your Say, permanent residents state that they drive around, via Lake Range,or continue to use the road during the few days of runoff.?? In Short, why was this major project initiated by Council??Last year, the Township installed a partial ditch on the east side, and per Have Your Say, everyone agrees that this low cost/low tech solution worked well, but the ditch needs to be expanded in length, and maybe depth with stones at the base to facilitate drainage.After the Council meeting on Oct 21, two owners spoke with the engineer and he indicated that he would consider adding an expanded ditch as an option. He indicated the soil along there is more permeable than he had previously thought.?? Will this be done? If so, will it occur before any Public Meeting or appear as an addendum to their Report on Have Your Say??The Engineer also stated something about having to meet MOT Guidelines that flooding could not be more than a foot to ensure emergency vehicles can get through. There has never been anywhere near that amount of water pooling on the road. This is a red herring to justify the infiltration project! And, if Highland Rd residents argue that it cuts off their access to Bruce Beach Rd directly from their property, one owner has already constructed a mini bridge across the existing ditch, And, they can always walk to the paved portion of their hill and walk down there. Perhaps there are not many permanent residents on Highland Dr at that time of year so access may not be an issue?Finally, with respect to the proposed installation of an infiltration system on the east side, the recent drawings show asphalt being installed on Bruce Beach Rd for an unspecified distance along the road. To remind Staff and Council, the one issue on which Bruce Beach Rd owners fully agree is that the road between Highland Dr and the 8th is not to be paved. This view is strongly supported even by those living between Highland Dr and the 10th who are increasingly concerned about excessive traffic and speeding along their paved portion. Hence, there is no support for a project that includes asphalt being installed on the road.OTHER QUESTIONS1) ?? Has the Township inspected the property of every home along Lake Range and Highland to ensure that there are no pipes draining directly onto the hill or near the west end of their property from eaves, sump pumps ,hot tubs, etc??This is what can cause minor pooling on the east side at various points along the road, even in the summer at times. Remember my story about the previous Director of Public Works and I climbing the hill behind the area above 119 to 121 and finding pipes draining water onto the hill. He subsequently required them to cap the drains.2)?? Will the existing French Drains installed along Bruce Beach Rd be cleaned or reconstructed after about 7-8 years of growth that is covering them, and likely reducing or eliminating their efficiency?? Those installed between about 121 and 127 at that time on the east side of the road significantly reduced flooding and ponding on the tennis courts and ball field. but, they have become overgrown with vegetation and the rocks have sunk. This is a low tech/low cost preventative solution that could be replicated at other areas than Highland Dr where water runoff is excessive at times, like around 119-120.In summary, the proposed solution of an expensive infiltration system to solve the minimal overflow of water on the road and onto properties on the west side is excessive. A more modest and less hasty solution is to expand the ditch and monitor the flow over a 2-3 year period. The engineer's model of potential flooding over the next 50 years may not reflect reality. If climate change continues, less snowfall, even along Highland Dr, is likely. Can they predict that the snow melt period will be accompanied by excessive rainfall every year? As noted above, this is not a natural disaster waiting to happen that will wash out the road or damage property on the west side of the road!We urge patience in decision-making, and a serious attempt to invoke a low tech/low cost measure, and to monitor scientifically the runoff for a few years to see how it works. There may or may not be a fast melt in 2020 so we need a few years to assess the effectiveness of an expanded ditch.The argument to proceed quickly to save costs is not a valid argument if an infiltration system is not really needed ,or wanted, by most, if not all of the owners ,especially the majority who are seasonal residents, along the entire Bruce Beach RdI am hopeful that our neighbours on Highland Dr ,in a spirit of community cooperation, would consider giving up a few feet of property, if necessary, to enable an expanded ditch on the east side of Bruce Beach Rd to catch runoff from their property.