Flood project in Scranton

[NYRangers 2008]

You're right about the anti Doherty stuff, to570717. I do not support him and never voted for him. I do not like the direction he has taken this city. With the Doherty debt and him turning a blind eye to the neighborhoods and worrying about Nay Aug and the downtown. But to keep attacking him is no use. He's prob. immuned to it by now. It won't affect anything. He knows his days are numbered and this is his last term as mayor. He just doesn't care anymore and in the process is screwing over the people in Scranton. It's just unforunate that people are getting sick from Daron because of his ignorance and not caring about the city that elected him twice (through big campaign war chests that is)

[weluvpa]

I'm not blaming Doherty I'm blaming the last 3 mayors and the god knows how many sewer authorities. They were told that this update had to be done close to 20 yrs ago and they sat and did nothing well now the fed EPA told them they have 15 yrs to get the whole system replaced with a seperate system to met the EPA guidelines. The sewer authority is broke and the system is a mess. For every section that is not up to date by the deadline the city will fined $27,000 per dau per section. 4 sections not done then$100,000 per day that they are not done. They have had along time to get this done but no just wait and do it later, right. We just had 2 increases 56.2% in water and another 50%+ in sewer. The sewer rates in Scranton will probably be close to $500 a year in next 5 years if I had to guess.

[rmilford42]

I think it's terrible that people had to wait 20 years for that. Totally crazy. There's a lot of problems in Scranton. I guess I'm glad I live in Mayfield.

[NYRangers 2008]

Flood project a win for residents
BY STACY BROWN
STAFF WRITER
07/12/2007


Throughout his adult life, Leo Lynn fought and lost many battles against local government. Shortly before the former Green Ridge luncheonette owner died in 1992, he failed in his bid to have the court throw out Scranton’s garbage collection fee.





However, on Wednesday, Mr. Lynn’s wife, Betty Lynn, celebrated a victory she said belonged to her husband. One of his causes was a decades-long battle to clean up and take flood control measures along Meadow Brook, a mostly underground waterway which runs through the Green Ridge section.

Work finally began Wednesday on the project as workers closed the 900 block of Green Ridge Street, appropriately in front of the house the Lynns have called home since 1953.

“I’m the happiest person on the block right now,” said Mrs. Lynn. “I stuck it out hoping to see this day and while my husband is not here to see it, I’m glad that I made it to this day,” she said.

The $8.6 million flood-control project is expected to end decades of flooding along Meadow Brook. The project, which should take about 18 months, will focus on the portion of Meadow Brook that runs from Penn Avenue to the Lackawanna River, according to city officials.

Meadow Brook begins above Dunmore, runs into Scranton near the State School for the Deaf, and continues through Green Ridge to the Lackawanna River.

The brook is both a surface and underground waterway. The project begins roughly 180 feet upstream of Green Ridge Street and extends to Meadow Brook’s confluence with the Lackawanna. The Meadow Brook drainage system was designed and built in 1955 to carry the waterway through residential areas. As part of the project, Meadow Brook’s underground, stone-lined channel will be replaced with a 7-by-10-foot concrete box stretching from Penn Avenue to the river.

Work is also expected to include the removal of existing culverts on Meadow Brook and construction of 2,300 feet of concrete box culvert, 1,200 feet of 10.5-foot- and 12-foot-diameter concrete pressure pipes, and relocation of sanitary sewers. Workers will build an underground channel where several commercial properties once stood.

The project had been riddled with delays, including attempts to acquire needed properties and coordinating with the state, city solicitor Rob Farrell said. The final obstacle was resolved when an appeals panel ruled Scranton properly used eminent domain when it condemned two parcels for the project.

“My wife said I’d never live to see it,” Monsey Avenue resident Salvatore Zummo said. “Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to see it for herself. I hope I’m around when they finally finish.”

Contact the writer: sbrown@timesshamrock.com