The Courier - September 25, 2008

Dems and neighbors did it together

By MELISSA L. GAFFNEY
Staff Writer

    Dale Baldwin used to have his own flooding problems on Locust Street, in the Belford section of Middletown.
    Baldwin, a resident of nearly 25 years, said the corner of his property would flood to extreme levels every time it rained due to the lack of slope and proper drainage, for at least seven years.
    When Baldwin voiced his concerns during a Township Committee meeting this past April, someone heard him: Committeeman Patrick Short.
    Short said another Belford resident, Bob Latsch, also brought the issue to his attention.
    Latsch said he and Baldwin had been persistent in alleviating the flooding problem for many years before the issue was properly addressed.
    Short said the township Department of Public Works should be commended for the excellent work it did, as well as the neighbors who worked together in diligence.
    Baldwin said a swale was constructed on Locust, which takes ponding water and deposits it in Compton's Creek, located behind his property.
    The flooding was a safety hazard, and Baldwin noted how cars would slide on ice during the winter when the water would freeze.
    Baldwin, a registered Republican, said only Short took an interest in this problem when it was presented before the committee. "1 didn't hear from any Republicans," he said.
    After receiving a letter from Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante that the swale work would begin, Baldwin said the project was completed during the late summer.
    The creek still floods at high tide, and Baldwin said he has asked the township for more gravel to alleviate some of this. "At least the water is out of the street," he concluded.