Residents say raw sewage flooded basements on Hathaway Place; town staff to follow up

Around 8 p.m. on the 11th, several homeowners on Hathaway Place reported that raw sewage filled basements after sewer work near a hospital, leaving finished spaces damaged and residents seeking help from borough staff.

The council heard from Ray Carnival, who introduced the complaint and said nearby houses were affected. Resident George Frost told the council, “Mountain side has failed to respond in any way, shape or form,” and said he observed contractors and hoses that he believes were linked to the incident. Stephen Smith described “two, three inches of raw sewage over the entire basement” of his finished basement and said he had to spend the night cleaning and salvaging what he could. Smith added that his homeowner’s insurer provides only limited coverage for backup-flow damage, leaving much of the loss to the homeowner to document and pursue.

Why it matters: multiple residents said four or five houses were affected, they were unable to obtain timely responses from the contractor and a cleanup company identified in the transcript as All-American, and they want borough staff to document the event in writing to support liability or insurance claims.

What residents said the borough should do: Ray Carnival and other speakers asked the borough to investigate how an open sewer cap and the contractor activity led to backups, to determine whether the contractor or the facility that uses the line bears responsibility, and to provide a written statement that residents can use in insurance or liability processes.

Town response and next steps: Borough staff and the Department of Public Works were described as responsive on the night of the incident; council members directed staff to follow up. An administrator told residents, “Mike’s going to work out the details with you,” and staff offered to prepare a written response to help with the burden of proof for liability. The meeting record does not show a formal motion or vote on the matter during the session.

Details drawn from the record: residents reported seeing cleanup trucks from All-American at the site and identified the sewer operator in their remarks as Mountain Side; both companies are named in residents’ statements as failing to provide clear post-incident communication. The transcript records the number of houses affected as “four or five homes.”

What is unresolved: The council did not announce a formal finding of responsibility during the meeting. Residents said they had not received direct responses from the hospital administration or the contractor and asked the borough for written documentation. The borough committed to follow up with the residents and to provide written material to support claims; no timetable for that follow-up was given in the meeting record.

Next steps noted in the meeting: borough staff said they would work with affected residents to prepare documentation; residents were advised to continue communicating with DPW and borough administration about next steps for mitigation and evidence-gathering.