Flooding Not Caused By Shoppes, Engineer Says

Residents once again went to the township committee meeting Monday night to speak further about flooding issues in their neighborhoods.

Although some key questions were answered, many still remain unclear.

Barbara Rivera, of Adams Street, has put more money into her home than she cares to think about. For the past year, she and her husband Dave have been trying to recoup some of their money. She’s hoping all it took was Monday night to steer her in the right direction.

“I want the $30,000,” she said.

The $30,000 she is referring to is through her flood insurance policy’s Increased Cost of Compliance.

Her home sustained damages that totaled more than 50 percent of its value during several floods over the years. But since her home is so over assessed, she said, she needs a letter from the township stating the damages were in fact half of her home value—or else they can’t get the money owed to them.

Rivera said she was getting the runaround from the township’s construction office. Township Administrator Frank Locantore said she could draft a letter for her.

That part is done, Rivera said.

In late 2011, her home was raised and there’s been no major flooding since. She’s remaining an advocate for other residents in similar situations such as Shannon Arnold, a resident of Fairfax Drive, who spoke to township committee at a meeting last month.

Arnold was also at Monday’s meeting again asking the township for help in contacting the state. But she’s still not happy with the response.

“Why isn’t the township backing its residents more?” she said after the meeting.

Both women feel as if the Shoppes of Cinnaminson are the cause of their flooding woes.

“We’ve flooded more since the Shoppes went up,” said Rivera, who moved into her home 10 years ago.

Fred Turek, township engineer and superintendent of public works, at the meeting read from the stormwater management report for the Shoppes.

“The bottom line is it (the Shoppes) have been designed properly according to state guidelines,” Turek said. “The rate of flow has decreased.”

Where the water has exactly been coming from —well, both women would like to know.

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