Dear Editor,
This year marks the third anniversary of the storm that rocked Concord Drive. The rain from that storm brought the foundation down on one house, flooded another–nearly killing a resident–and brought raw sewage into a third.
Weather-people claimed it was a 100-year storm, but storms like this have become the norm. Yet, nothing has been done to repair the issues that could cause even more destruction in the future. A headwall still lies crumbled, while arguments over responsibility take place. A house sits with a fence around it, a silent monument to the inefficiency and inattention of county and local government.
The stormwater problem is not new to this block; three administrations have come and gone. Time passes, and the borough has not attempted solutions to the family who can’t live in their home but is still required to pay property taxes. While there is litigation going on, the remainder of the block remains exposed to the dangers of the same catastrophe.
I and others have spoken to both our county and commissioners to try and change the situation. We supported new administrations in hopes of change, but nothing has been done. Taxes continue to rise, while we sit across from a condemned property. We’re told ironically that we have to keep our own street drainage inlets clear, while we pay over $20,000 a year in property taxes!
There are no plans to fix these conditions in the 2022 budget. There is, however, $205,000 allocated to repair the Pharo house, where nobody actually lives. Why are our commissioners prioritizing that building over actual constituents’ home!? If you really want to remember a date, consider the date when local officials turned their backs on Concord Drive residents! The clock is ticking to remind local officials of their responsibility.
Marianne Springer
Haddonfield
