Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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March 17, 2010

Need for fix lingers after Stafford flooding subsides

By GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD —

PRINCETON – Like many other points of Mercer County, residents had to deal with flooding issues and detours as intersections along Stafford Drive were submerged under water. Meanwhile, the City of Princeton continues its quest for state or federal funding to deal with its ongoing drainage issue.

The sloping topography around Stafford Drive almost always channels water to it every time a heavy rain arrives over Princeton, said City Manager Wayne Shumate. Storm drains at Stafford are not large enough to handle the volumes of water that drain toward the highway. This proved to be the case again when rain arrived on March 12.

“Actually, that was one of the worst flooded places in the city and it was the last area for the water to go down and drain out,” Shumate said Tuesday. “And the reason for that is the storm drainage system which is deficient; and, of course, we have applied for Small Cities Block Grants for the past three years and we were turned down for the funding.”

The applications have been for $500,000, the maximum amount allowable. Engineers have estimated that refurbishing the Stafford Drive drainage system would cost approximately a million dollars. With the help of the Region I Planning & Development Council, the city has also sought federal stimulus funds, Shumate said.

During the weekend, the water pooling at the intersection of Ingleside Road and Stafford Drive “got pretty deep,” said Chief Shawn Vest of the Princeton Fire Department.

“At one point in time it was about two feet deep,” Vest said Tuesday.

Rain water that falls on the northern end of Princeton eventually ends up along Stafford Drive, he added. Meanwhile, the fire department and other city departments had to address water issues in other parts of the city.

“At the (Princeton) Middle School, they had water from Lovell Avenue that broke open some doors in the gym and flooded two-thirds of the first floor, but it was only a couple of inches deep. We used diverts, gravel and tarps, to divert some of that water,” Vest said.

High water came close to other centers of activity.

“Here at City Hall it came about eight to 10 feet from the bay doors (of the fire department,) Vest recalled. Parts of the Gladys Fork Creek near Princeton Community Hospital was monitored when the water level rose, but the facility was not threatened.

 Better drainage could help relieve high water problems for much of the city.

“If they could ever get the funding to fix Stafford Drive, it would make a huge difference,” Vest said. “It would give it (water) somewhere to go that would be away from the city. We get inundated having to help people and block streets. If we have a real emergency, it’s going to be tough. If we had a fire and we’re scattered over the city trying to take care of water issues here and there, it will delay us a little bit trying to get people together and get over there.”

And when a structure fire starts, time is critical.

“For every 60 seconds a fire burns, it doubles in size,” Vest said.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

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