I.P. begins bid process for sewer repair

The Village of Island Park has solicited bids for water jet cleaning of 6,500 feet of storm water drainage pipes and 50 catch basins plus system inspection. The village is receiving $40 million in grant money for this project from the New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (NYS DHSES). There is no cost to the taxpayer, Village Mayor Michael McGinty said.

McGinty explained that so far they have been cleaning the drains and catch basins and sending cameras down to look at the pipes, “and we have learned a lot,” he said. “For example, on Hastings Road we found out we have six-inch pipe. We need 12 or 15-inch pipe. We have cleaned 46 drain boxes so far, but we have 325 or 330 in the village. We are moving as fast as we can, but it will take time.”

Some people might have seen the vacuum truck around, McGinty said, “The village’s vacuum truck ran into problems, so the village contracted for another one from Bancker Construction, and the truck they sent is much bigger.

“All of this work is being done with Department of Conservation (DEC) approval,” McGinty stressed, “We have all the permits, Walden Environmental, our contractor, is on top of everything, I even called DEC for advice, we are environmentally conscience, no funny business. The village will be using high power jets, high-pressure washers to send water into the system for cleaning, the material will be collected and taken to approved holding sites. Even better we negotiated for 2011 prices.”

Cleaning the drainage system should mean better drainage in the event of another storm, McGinty said.

There is an ongoing a study of the village drainage system, at the end of which McGinty hopes to have shovels in the ground, beginning the rebuild of the current antiquated system by installing new drains, pipes and catch basins. “When we have the right pipe in the ground, that might solve our drainage problems,” he said.