Lake Barnegat Drive Residents To Get Relief From Flooding

Residents on Lake Barnegat Drive North by Easy Street may not have waterfront properties, but they will soon get relief from lake-like flooding.

The township committee voted unanimously Thursday to pursue the entire Lake Barnegat Road project, which would address drainage issues on the road.

“It’s a safety issue,” Committeewoman Helen DelaCruz said.

The township recently was awarded a $250,000 grant for road improvements to the area but by a vote of three to five in July, the committee decided to overlook the drainage issues and

The township already , which will cover the paving of Lake Barnegat Drive North and Musket Road as well as Musket to around Continental Court.

to voice their concerns, as Hurricane Irene would soon sweep through the area.

For 11 years the Kluins have lived on Lake Barnegat Drive North, where the Easy Street retention basin fails and floods their home three to four times a year.

The retention basin was constructed years ago to improve drainage issues the area would have during heavy rains, Kevin said. But the pipe is only 10 inches wide when the standard is 18 inches.

Drainage improvements were also made in 2007 but the work only reduced and did not eliminate the flooding.

"We tried. Unfortunately I just think it was a band-aid," Deputy Mayor Mark Dykoff said.

Whenever there is heavy and constant rain, the area floods, leading right up to the Kluin's doorstep and electrical panel, Kevin Kluin said. When the water recedes, it takes the Kluin’s lawn with it and leaves behind bacteria, garbage, waste and deceased rodents.

Margaret Kluin looked at a photo of her home under water and let out a sigh of relief with a smile, a significant change of emotions after just weeks ago she had tears in her eyes in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.

“We’re just really happy and grateful. We’re just really relieved,” she said

Margaret Kluin could not sleep when they had heavy rains, she said. She would just sit and watch as the water built up.

As she drove to work before Hurricane Irene struck, she pulled away thinking, “I’m never going to see this house again,” she said.

Luckily, Irene’s force was not as strong as originally anticipated. The Kluins and other families on Lake Barnegat Drive North did not have any issues, she said.

“We escaped the wrath of Hurricane Irene,” Margaret Kluin said.

The Kluins expressed gratitude to Public Works Director Casey Parker for being there through it all, Margaret Kluin said.

“He has really worked diligently,” she said.

Parker was outside their home at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, the morning of the hurricane, checking the road for any flooding.

“He knew we were okay so he knew the rest of the town was too,” Margaret Kluin said.

Committeeman Sean Sharkey was hesitant to spend the money but agreed the matter had to be addressed.

“I don’t think we should bust out the credit card every single time without exhausting every single alternative option…My concerns again are that we don’t have money. However, this looks like it can be a very dangerous situation,” he said.

The drainage problems on Lake Barnegat Drive pose a liability issue, Mayor Gary Quinn said. When Quinn served on the school board, a home on Haines Street lost the basement due to flooding. It fell out right from underneath the home, he said.

“I think it’s wrong for us as a committee now to put this off,” Quinn said.

Township Administrator Veronica Laureigh researched possible grants.

“Lacey Township is basically at a disadvantage when it comes to grants available to us,” Laureigh said.

The township is not diverse enough and does not have a large enough low-income population to qualify for the majority of grants, she said.

Laureigh looked into a federal grant offered by the county but it is specifically for low-income areas as well as a Barnegat Bay Estuary grant but the project does not address water quality management issues, she said.

There are Department of Transportation grants available but there is a limit of two applications per year, Laureigh said. The township already submitted two grant applications for 2012.

The only possibility was the Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund, she said. This fund could either be used as a loan with a low interest rate of 1.3 to 3 percent or a 25 percent reimbursement grant, which would cover approximately $30,000 of the project, she said.

“Nothing is 100 percent. And again, you have to apply so there is no guarantee that we’ll get it,” Laureigh said.

The deadline for the fund is Oct. 3 but it may be extended for second chance applicants, she said.

The cost of improving the retention basin would be over $107,000. A bond ordinance will have to be issued and a first and second reading will have to occur before the project can be awarded, Laureigh said.

Quinn does not anticipate construction for the drainage project to begin until early spring 2012, he said.

The paving portion of the Lake Barnegat Drive project was awarded on Thursday, Sept. 8. Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, Sept. 19.