Main Street flooding plagues Antwerp homes

ANTWERP — Ronald F. and Laurie B. Bartle's basement has been flooding for 20 years. They even have nicknames for the pools of water that collect on the north, south and east sides of their home at 36 Main St.

They say that years of additional asphalt and work on the sewer and water systems, but none on storm drainage, has made the problem worse. The street is part of County Route 194, and plans to overhaul the road's drainage, curbing and sidewalk structure are under way — but completion is years down the road.

"I can't wait any longer. We've been trying to deal with it ourselves for years," Mrs. Bartle said Tuesday night at a village board meeting. "It's a constant taking care of it. Otherwise we would be swimming."

She said a quick solution that could help her and other property owners on Main Street would be to clean out the drains that are near the railroad tracks. The sand and dirt in those drains is level with the grate and packed so tightly that water flows over the drain and down the street, she said.

"We will start a project this year with the area that's the worst. And that's in front of the Town Hall," Mayor Bert A. Corey said. "That's where it's frustrating for residents who've lived with it for a long time, but you can't start in the middle of a project."

He said all the water flows toward drains in front of the Town Hall at 45 Main St. Those drains are also clogged and the pipe under the road is broken after years of sewer and water projects, he said.

Mr. Corey said the drains were cleaned out about three years ago and the village will consider having it done again.

Reconstruction of that one mile of Route 194 in the village will cost about $2 million, said James L. Lawrence Jr., the Jefferson County highway superintendent. He said the project will extend outward from drains at Route 194 and Route 26, also called Depot Street.

From there, the county will work on both routes 194 and 26. The plan calls for new storm drainage, curbing and sidewalk and digging up the asphalt to pave the road.

"The county could just pave the road, but that won't solve the problem," said Allen T. Drake, the county legislator for Antwerp. "It needs to be done right and it's not going to be solved overnight. It's going to take time."

Mr. Bartle said water coming from Main Street isn't the only problem. Water recently began accumulating in the yard of 34 Main St. to the west of his house. That water was coming down from Academy Street, which is owned by the village. It would collect in his neighbor's yard and then overflow down his cellar stairs like a "trout stream."

"I've pretty much given up. I've waterproofed every wall in the basement and have a sump pump that is suppose to remove water pressure from under the house," he said. "It's non-stop labor and a continual fight."