Swampscott residents angry with town for failing to follow through with drainage study

SWAMPSCOTT – Residents of the lower Paradise Road neighborhood called the town “negligent” in dealing with issues of flooding in their area Wednesday night at the Board of Selectmen meeting.Several questioned why there had been no action taken with the $40,000 appropriated for a drainage study for their neighborhood at the annual Town Meeting last May. Town Administrator Thomas Younger said officials had decided to withhold the study and find out how much it would cost to evaluate the entire town all at once.Resident Juliet Arsenault said town officials needed to prioritize neighborhoods instead of waiting to include the whole town in the study. “Different pockets of town have different flooding issues, but our issue isn?t just a wet basement,” she said. Arsenault described having “one to five feet of water” in her living room at times. “The door will bust open and furniture will float around.”Department of Public Works Director Gino Cresta said Swampscott?s old drainage system can handle a lot of rain over several hours, but flooding takes place when there is a strong accumulation of rain in a short amount of time.When Arsenault asked the many residents sitting in the room, “How many people were awake last night from midnight on looking outside thinking, ?Should I move my car? Should I bring my cat in from the basement?? ” regarding Tuesday night?s ran, about 15 hands shot up.Resident Aaron Reames said the water damage is a public health issue, especially considering the location of the medical center at 250 Paradise Road. “Every time we have a storm with at least an inch of rain there?s flooding across Paradise Road,” he said. Reames added that he has been “stuck waist-deep in water pushing cars for women with babies” from the medical center, and that emergency vehicles are having trouble getting through the water.Reames said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has estimated $300,000 worth of flood damage to his home. Arsenault said it was becoming more and more difficult for residents to sell their homes. “It?s almost October and the funds were appropriated in spring. Why is it taking so long?” said Arsenault.Selectman Jill Sullivan said she felt that lower Paradise Road should receive the drainage study before other parts of town, to which other selectmen agreed. “I feel like this was promised at Town Meeting,” said Sullivan. She added that fixing the whole town?s drainage issue could take up to 10 years.Younger decided that the neighborhood would receive the study first, as was originally intended, and said more funds would have to be appropriated at the next annual Town Meeting in May.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].