Residents describe repeated basement flooding and federal buyout funds; city match still unresolved

Several Warwick residents used the city council’s public comment period to describe recurring basement flooding in a corridor that drains to a 36‑inch culvert and to urge the city to complete a federally funded buyout and property demolition that they say would solve the problem.

Kevin McDonald, who described himself as a 52‑year resident and taxpayer, told the council that his house on Govan (Gobain/Gobin as transcribed) Drive flooded multiple times, including events that deposited “7 to 8 feet” of water in a basement in October 2024 and later storms that again inundated the property. McDonald said federal funds of $570,000 had been approved to purchase the property, and that the city’s share would be roughly $178,000. “Had the other 2 property owners accepted, the city would be looking at over a million dollars for a match to take possession of the 3 properties,” McDonald said. He said the city had applied for a conservation grant to fund its portion and that Rhode Island DEM had not yet responded to the city’s request.

Tammy Dickerman, a neighbor at 510 Gobin Drive, said the flooding is a long‑standing problem associated with development uphill of the neighborhood and an undersized culvert. She said prior homeowners had erected a concrete wall that was later removed by a house flipper and that new construction uphill has increased runoff. “This flooding issue is not related to climate change. This is a long standing issue that the city is aware of,” Dickerman said, adding that homeowners who sell must disclose the flooding history and that the homeowners fear they will eventually be uninsurable.

McDonald and Dickerman said Department of Agriculture engineers visited the site and recommended demolition and a retention pond; they said other owners had declined federal offers for buyouts. McDonald said he had contacted state officials including the House speaker and later received a city reply saying the administration was waiting on a response from Rhode Island DEM about the conservation grant.

Speakers asked the council to pursue the buyout funding and to follow through on the conservation grant application so earmarked federal funds do not lapse. Council members did not take formal action on the comments during the public comment period; the transcript shows the speakers’ time limits were enforced.

The comments were part of the public comment rule‑41 period; several attendees and other speakers also addressed council rules and related items during the same session.