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Resident says temporary flood-control bales were sited incorrectly; requests inspection
Summary
Katie Joseph told the Borough Highlands council that hay bales placed this summer to control runoff were installed in the wrong area, leaving a crater and allowing water to bypass lower points; she asked the borough to inspect the site and correct placement.
At the Oct. 15 Borough Highlands meeting, resident Katie Joseph urged the council to inspect emergency runoff work near her property and to correct misplaced hay bales she said are worsening drainage.
Joseph described visiting the site after work was completed and said the hay bales "were installed in the wrong place. I was in shock when I went there." She said a large crater remains at the lowest point, that water is bypassing the intended lower point and continuing toward the trench, and that the placement contradicted an earlier report recommending a different location.
Joseph said she had photographs but worried they "will not show how these cells were placed" and asked council members and staff to visit the site for a proper inspection. She told the council she had repeatedly raised the problem over four years and said the current placement left her frustrated: "I don't want to come here again. I don't want to be made to feel that what I'm telling you is not reality."
Council members did not record a formal decision during the public comment period, but staff said they would "take a look and determine if anything else" was necessary. The council's administrative and public works staff should confirm whether the hay bales were placed according to the borough's site plan and inform Joseph of any corrective action or a planned on-site meeting.
Next steps: Staff follow-up to inspect the site and report back to the resident and council; no vote or formal directive was recorded on the meeting transcript.
