Plum stormwater task force to host first public meeting Sept. 12

Plum’s stormwater task force is set to have its first public meeting since being formed in January.

Residents will have an opportunity to voice their flooding concerns and talk with task force members on Saturday.

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at the borough building, 4575 New Texas Road. People can register for the meeting via the borough website.

Council Vice President Dave Vento, a task force member, said they will talk about what the task force has done so far, as well as its future plans and other topics.

“We’re using this to try to gauge what the response is,” Vento said. “Should we do more (public meetings) or not. Frankly, sometimes the addition of more people only creates more controversy that doesn’t allow us to get anything done. There’s limited to do this. We only meet once a month.”

Vento said he supports more public task force meetings.

Task force meeting minutes and other related information are posted to the borough’s website under the “stormwater management” tab.

The group was formed in January in response to the severe flooding throughout Allegheny County on July 21-22, 2019.

The covid-19 pandemic and the state’s ever-changing regulations on public gatherings also impacted the ability to have public meetings.

Current regulations limit indoor gatherings to 25 people.

“We could only have so many in the building,” Vento said. “We’ve had preregistration for flood victims to register first. If more people do sign up, we may have them wait outside for somebody to ask a question.”

The meeting is also expected to be live streamed on YouTube and rebroadcasted on the borough’s public access channels.

Vento said the task force has identified problem areas in the borough such as Anderson and College avenues, Leroy Street and sections of the Holiday Park neighborhood.

“We’ve defined areas in the community that need more than just simple pipes and catch basins fixed,” Vento said. “They need major work. … I hope people come up with fixes to areas we don’t know about. Everybody’s real concerned to make sure we move forward.”

A number of fixes were completed since the July 2019 flooding.

That work entailed replacing about 115 feet of a 15-inch pipe along Impala Drive, installing about 68 feet of an 18-inch pipe along Jackson Road, and replacing 80 feet of a 15-inch pipe at Bar Harbor and Arcadia drives.

Public works crews also repaired 12 stormwater inlets in the Rustic Ridge area and installed 80 feet of six-inch drainage pipes in Woodlawn Estates.

More information about those and other task force projects can be found in the meeting minutes.

There is a vacancy on the task force. Residents interested in filling the spot can submit letters of interest to the borough office. Council may appoint the new member in October.