In the 40 years that Dan Hellmann has lived on Dolly Avenue in Penn Township, stormwater flooding has always been an issue.

The lack of drains on Dolly leaves the area unable to handle stormwater during heavy rains, and the residents suffer the consequences.

“(When it rains) you could ride a raft down there,” Hellmann said. “It’s been getting progressively worse every year.”

Hellmann said the flooding forced him to renovate his front porch with new stone and install a French drain system in 2018 at a cost of about $12,000.

Through a loan from PennVEST — the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority — the township will address the flooding on Dolly Avenue and in the rest of the Harrison Park plan.

The $2.2 million loan will cover the installation of a more extensive drainage system and replacement of the culvert at the bottom of the road. The township also will work with the state to address flood mitigation efforts on the state land near Bushy Run, which is responsible for some of the Harrison Park stormwater.

State Rep.George Dunbar, R-Westmoreland, who lives near Harrison Park, said flooding has been a problem for as long as he has lived there.

“These problems need to be addressed. Fortunately, Penn Township is now in a position where it can do that,” Dunbar said. “Anyone who is familiar with Harrison Park will tell you that this has always been a problem.”

The township also will contribute $275,000 for the widening and paving of Dolly Avenue, which township Commissioner Lisa Zaucha said has not been done in at least 30 years.

“It should relieve flooding in all of the plan,” Zaucha said. “What’s important, though, is that with the widening of Dolly… it improves the daily lives of people in Harrison Park by making the road more safe.”

Other areas flood

The flooding problem, however, is not limited to Dolly Avenue. Penn Township Secretary/Manager Mary Perez said there are numerous areas the township is looking to address in the near future.

One of these areas, Hyland Road and Chris Drive, is undergoing repairs through a separate loan initially awarded to the township in 2020.

Hyland is a state road and the township would have had to obtain ownership of it from PennDOT to work on it. This would also place the financial burden of road maintenance on the township, which the commissioners decided they could not afford.

Instead, the commissioners sought a highway occupancy permit for Hyland, which allowed them to make repairs to the road without owning it permanently. After the permit was granted, PennVEST reassessed the loan to account for cost increases. The Hyland Road and Chris Drive loan stands at $1.5 million.

With permit and loan in hand, the township started replacement of two culverts along Hyland Road on Monday. The culvert between Country Farm Lane and Sunnyfield Court is being replaced first, with the Sunnyfield Court and Waugaman Road culvert to be addressed next.

The Hyland Road construction detour runs from the intersection of Hyland Road and Route 130, eastbound on Route 130, left onto Harrison-City Export Road and left on Raymaley Road until it intersects with Hyland.

Concord Drive resident Jerry DiBernardo said his property hasn’t been damaged from flooding at his location adjacent to Chris Drive, but he has seen stormwater collect in front of his house and at the bottom of Hyland.

“Last summer … that was all flooded. It was (across) the whole street, in people’s backyards, in the other plan down there,” said DiBernardo, a 43-year resident of Concord. “The firemen were here blocking it off and everything.”

Deb Nash, a Chris Drive resident for more than 45 years, said she knows of neighbors who have moved from the area because of flooding issues.

“When there’s significant rain, it pours down Concord, completely covers the road and floods into the front yards of the opposite side of the street, and the sewer system doesn’t handle it. So it pools down at this four-way intersection,” Nash said. “I’m glad to hear that they’re here to do something about it.”

Perez said the Chris Drive portion of the project will begin once Hyland construction is complete, because the township is under a PennDOT deadline with the highway occupancy permit. If construction is not completed by Nov. 1, the township will need to request permission from PennDOT to continue working on the road.

Perez estimates the Hyland Road construction will be completed in three months.

The Dolly Avenue and Harrison Park project timeline has not been determined. Perez said the township is in the bidding stage, with contracts to be awarded in July.

From there, the project cost will be verified and the township will request funds from the state. Perez said it is possible construction could start in September or October.

“The …. commissioners (are) just excited to finally be able to bring some relief to the residents and travelers to those roadways,” Perez said. “We’re excited to finally see these projects move closer to fruition and be able to help those residents who have been dealing with this for some time.”

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