Resident urges town to fix Butler Road drainage after repeated flooding

A resident told the board the property across the street from her son — identified in comments as Marty’s yard — has suffered recurring flooding and erosion when stormwater from Butler Road runs into the lot. "They put that 8 inch pipe... it was not handling that water," the resident said, describing buried drains and runoff carrying fuel cans and chemicals onto the yard.

The chair and town staff described recent responses: staff said crews located a catch basin and installed a swale and a replaced pipe, and that the highway crew has cleaned and monitored the area. "We put a swale so it'd run normal so you could still mow it," a staff member said, adding the ditch had been opened and maintained after years of not draining. The staff member also noted he has worked for the town for decades and has been responding regularly to water issues.

Board members and staff emphasized legal and practical limits. The chair said the town’s easement around a pipe is 30 feet (15 feet on each side) and that the town cannot take private property or use taxpayer funds to extend into a homeowner’s yard. Staff and the resident discussed whether the pipeline diameter should be increased — from the 8-inch pipe currently in place back to a 12-inch diameter — to handle heavier flows. "We had 2 and a half inches of rain in 25 minutes," a staff member said, noting intense short-duration storms that stress drainage installations.

The resident asked the board to keep monitoring and pursue more durable fixes; the chair agreed to follow up and noted the town will coordinate with the highway department and other appropriate partners. The board also agreed to include an upcoming meeting requested by a local resident (Brian Bellamy) to discuss the matter further.