Proposed Pelham Green Project Discussed During Public Comment at Village Meeting

By Stephen E. Lipken

Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen opened the September 27th Work Session discussing the Interim Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study Investigation Report, introducing Lenny Myers, AI Engineers.

“One of the problems of a Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES) is out of site and out of mind,” Myers began.  “You have a lot of infrastructure underground which has exceeded its life expectancy, a sanitation problem, and major polluter of the environment.  Every drop that goes down the drain ends up in the Hudson River.

“Infiltration and inflow is a ubiquitous problem that occurs in aging sanitary sewer systems across the country.  Infiltration refers to groundwater that seeps into the sanitary sewer system through cracks or off-set joints in deficient sanitary sewer pipes and/or manholes. 

“Inflow refers to clear water that enters the sanitary sewer system through illicit connections such as sump pump effluent, driveway drains, catch basins or roof gutters as well as well as leaking manhole covers in streets that experience flooding.” 

“The study consists of four parts:

• Sewage flow monitoring at 8 key manholes and concurrent rainfall measurement over a 42-day period.

• Cleaning and closed-circuit TV video inspection of more than 93,000 lf of diameters ranging from 6 to 35 inches.

• Panoramic photo inspection of 422 manholes with a detailed written report noting all deficiencies found.

• Smoke testing of more than 93,000 lf of sanitary sewer to identify potential sources of inflow.”   

Mullen submitted a New York Forward Grant Application, with a $10 million Block Grant, smaller sums just for the Village’s Traffic Lights; Complete Streets, Sustainability Board; Pedestrian Safety and Calming; Chamber of Commerce and Picture House; $100,000 for rebranding; $700,000.

During Public Comment, Ken Nilsen agreed that allowing on street parking on 201 Fifth Avenue will be “less impactful.”