Officials say cleanups, grants and studies are underway for Old Kensico Road flooding, but major fixes could take years

At a Greenburgh town board work session, town, county and state representatives outlined short‑term cleanup efforts and longer planning steps to address recurring flooding along Old Kensico Road and the Manhattan Brook corridor.

The board heard that the Department of Environmental Facilities cleaned overgrowth and contracted culvert work at the end of August and is setting a maintenance schedule to prevent debris buildup. "The Department of Environmental Facilities went in and cleaned up all the overgrown weeds ... That was done at the end of August. They are setting up a maintenance schedule to do so every other month or every 3 months," Jewel Williams, Westchester County legislator (District 8), said during the meeting.

Why it matters: The flooding has repeatedly affected backyards and roadways in the neighborhood, and residents pressed the town for an approximate timeline so they can expect relief. Officials said short‑term maintenance can reduce impacts from smaller storms, but the area will need larger capital projects to address high‑intensity events.

Assemblywoman Mary Jane Shimsky highlighted available state funding and local coordination, saying, "For the year 2024, we are, we have allocated $250,000 in CREST funding" for the Manhattan Brook area. County and town officials sketched responsibilities: the county controls the Bronx River corridor and some parkland work, while town functions include catch basin and local sewer maintenance.

Dean Tirole, Westchester County's director of flood mitigation and resilience, described the complexity ahead: permitting and design work involving state and federal agencies can extend timelines. "To be realistic and set expectations the right way," he said, "about 4 or 5 years" from design to the start of construction on a major stream project, citing coordination with DOT, DEC and the Army Corps.

Town officials described ongoing, practical steps. Richard Fahn, Greenburgh's commissioner of public works, said highway crews have been vacuuming basins, clearing pipes and pulling debris from easements; the town has rented equipment while awaiting a long‑delayed truck purchase and has crews actively working in the Manhattan Avenue area.

Board members pressed for clearer timelines and resident communications. A town board member who spoke for affected homeowners said residents want an understanding of when relief will arrive; officials agreed to return with planning and funding updates. The board set a follow‑up meeting for Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. to review progress and potential budget adjustments.

Officials also discussed causes and interim fixes: illegal dumping and siltation were named as contributors to culvert blockages, and county measures include replacing fencing and adding signage to deter dumping. Shimsky said the town could use state grants as the town's match to unlock county stormwater funds tied to a 2011 law governing county stormwater management projects.

County offers to help with grants. Tirole told the town he has vetted numerous grant opportunities and offered direct grant‑writing help: "If you give me ... 2 people from the town to work with directly on flood issues, then I can work with them. I have 53 grants I've vetted so far that can work within the county or within the local municipalities," he said.

What comes next: town and county staff will review existing planning documents, confirm whether historic retention ponds can be reinstated, refine a draft capital plan and report back at the Nov. 19 meeting. Officials emphasized that while routine cleanup will provide some relief for lower‑level storms, comprehensive remediation of the watershed will require multiagency design, permitting and funding work that could span several years.

The town moved to enter executive session at the end of the work session; no formal vote on flood projects was taken during this meeting.