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Rye Brook approves $4,500 change order to complete storm‑drain tie‑in at Hillandale Road after resident complaints
Summary
Trustees approved a $4,500 change order to Jobco Construction to reconnect a homeowner’s sump-pump line to a newly installed 30‑inch storm drain; an adjacent homeowner described prolonged backyard flooding and asked for assurances about maintenance and yard restoration.
The Village of Rye Brook Board of Trustees on Feb. 25 approved a $4,500 change order for Jobco Construction to complete storm drain work at 40 Hillandale Road, which the superintendent of public works said is needed to reconnect a homeowner’s existing lateral into the newly installed larger trunk line.
Michael (superintendent of public works) told the board the project replaced a failing 24‑inch concrete storm drain with a new 30‑inch high-density pipe to increase hydraulic capacity by approximately 30–40 percent. After completion, a homeowner at 42 Hillandale reported sump pump issues; a camera inspection and dye test showed the old lateral had been abandoned in place and not transitioned into the new main. The change order will provide for the connection that serves the neighbor’s sump pump and yard drain.
Merle Minx, who lives at 42 Hillandale, told the board she has experienced continuous backyard flooding since buying the house two years ago and asked for assurances that the yard would be restored and future problems would be the responsibility of the appropriate party. "I would really like to get the yard brought back to what it was," Minx said at the meeting.
Michael explained that the lateral is a private service that runs through an easement and that maintenance responsibility remains with the homeowner whose service ties into the main. He said the village is “reestablishing that connection” because the lateral existed before the village project and was inadvertently disconnected during construction; the village will complete the physical tie‑in. The building department has inspected the site and will follow up regarding the neighbor’s required repairs.
Trustees and staff said the project also includes updating and finalizing easement maps; Michael said he would discuss adding a note to the easement map to identify the pipe and the maintenance responsibility to provide clarity for future property owners. The board voted by roll call to approve the change order; Trustee Fisher, Trustee Heizer, Trustee Merlino and Mayor Klein voted “yes.”
