Borough Officials and DOT Representatives Will Convene Regarding Water Basin

The multiple issues the borough has found with the water basin in the Route 17 corridor at the intersection of Franklin Avenue will be raised during a meeting with state Department of Transportation representatives May 4.

Since the DOT converted the traffic island into a water basin last year, borough officials have been communicating with the state department regarding debris, landscaping, flooding concerns and other problems and are still seeking answers to most of their concerns.

Borough Engineer Ken Jobs told the mayor and council at the work session meeting last Tuesday that although the state recently sent workers to fix the broken fence at the site they have yet to do any clean-up. An accident earlier this year involving a truck had brought part of the fencing on the Franklin Avenue side down.

Officials say the area has been found to be abused by passersby who use it to discard garbage. Officials fear that the basin could become clogged causing flooding problems and they want to protect the athletic field which sits adjacent to the site.

Jobs has reported after recent storms that he has been watching the basin closely for drainage and it appears to be draining although somewhat slowly.