Editor’s note: This update was provided by Village of Pelham Manor Trustee Maurice Owen-Michaane. The Pelham Examiner provides updates in the form received as a service to the community.

As there has been great community interest on this topic, as DPW Commissioner & Trustee, I am pleased to provide the below update on Pelham Manor’s drainage and stormwater mitigation plans. We are committed to our ongoing water mitigation work and keeping our community informed. Please remember to like Village of Pelham Manor NY Facebook page and sign up for village e-mail alerts on our website.

Drainage Infrastructure & Stormwater Mitigation Community Update

As we embark on a new fiscal year, an update on our plan for our drainage infrastructure and stormwater mitigation is timely. The Board of Trustees adopted the 2024-25 Budget last night. This budget represents Pelham Manor’s ongoing commitment to achievement through discipline. Along with strong operations, we have secured tangible improvement projects for our community and services, while remaining NYS Tax Cap compliant and debt free. Residents are encouraged to read through the budget document to familiarize themselves with our goals for the upcoming operational year.

Pelham Manor has a long and demonstrated record of effective maintenance and improvement of its infrastructure, including the stormwater conveyance system. The adoption of the 2024-25 Budget authorizes $2,606,800 in capital projects. Of the total cost of the authorized capital projects, stormwater mitigation efforts comprise 69%.

This funding continues to support our diligent management of our stormwater infrastructure, which was created in sections, over time. Notably, Pelham Manor actively explores non-property tax revenue sources to help fund infrastructure projects, such as grants, which we prepare in-house.

It is important to remember that our coastal Village is just over one square mile and drains to receiving systems outside our jurisdiction, including the Hutchinson River, which is a tidal waterway. These factors greatly affect stormwater conveyance. Other conditions also influence our drainage capabilities, such as the water table, soil permeability, land topography, and impervious surface area in adjacent communities, as well as the volume and intensity of water delivered in weather events.

In 2023, Pelham Manor was one of the first municipalities in Westchester to complete a Village-Wide Drainage Infrastructure Assessment (Assessment). This data-driven document provides a plan, outlining a series of proposed projects to systematically increase the capacity of our drainage infrastructure. The plan has already proved useful in guiding and informing our decision-making with respect to upcoming projects.

As with all large capital projects that involve neighboring entities, significant coordination must take place. We continue to work collaboratively with Westchester County, New York State and Federal elected officials, neighboring municipalities, utility companies, governmental agencies, and our outside engineering consultants to help ensure that our future long-term projects will be successful.

Concurrently with long-term efforts, Pelham Manor has continued to conduct interim mitigation measures. In fiscal year 2023-24, in addition to our annual system maintenance program, we repaired a large section of broken pipe on Clay Avenue, and we also restored, renovated, and added catch basins in the areas of Jackson Avenue, Peace Street, Highland Avenue, Hudson Street, and Plymouth Street. Prior to that, among other improvements, we installed new catch basins, storm drains, curbing, culverts, and manholes throughout the Village. As a reminder, the Village deep cleans each stormwater catch basin on an annual basis and contracts with a street sweeper to help prevent debris from entering our collection system. Additionally, our in-house DPW crew performs targeted supplemental cleaning in advance of weather events.

The adoption of the 2024-25 Budget supports the design phase for larger stormwater infrastructure projects and provides significant seed money for implementation. As we move through the design phase Village-wide, we will provide implementation updates. Specific goals for each watershed are as follows:

Watershed 1: 

• Pursue enhanced assistance from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) for mitigation of the Eastchester Creek portion of the Hutchinson River.
• Further facilitate and coordinate project scoping and development with Pelham Public Schools and Westchester County Planning Department regarding the sanitary pipe interference referenced in the Assessment.
• Complete the design phase and determine implementation phases.
• Complete funding application for rain gardens for the Esplanade medians north of Boston Post Road.
• Apply for a grant to fund improvements to Highbrook Avenue.
• Confirm implementation of improved stormwater collection along Hazen Street and Pelhamdale Avenue.

Watershed 3: 

• Continue collaboration with Pelham Bay Parks on connecting our drainage assessments to optimize stormwater flow through the outfall.
• Expect a determination from NYSDEC regarding the Climate Smart Communities grant application submitted Summer 2023 in the amount of $1,200,000 (project to upsize drain on Monroe Avenue up through Hunter Avenue).

Watershed 5: 

• Complete the design phase and determine precise implementation phases for additional water mitigation efforts in the area of Mount Tom Road.
• Continue coordination with the City of New Rochelle on our adjacent stormwater projects.
• Apply for grant funding for future upstream projects within the watershed, such as Bolton Road and Roosevelt Avenue.

Residents should remain mindful that Pelham Manor takes a wholistic view of infrastructure improvements. The Village embraces the County’s regional approach to stormwater mitigation, as outlined by the Westchester County Planning Department. We participate in a Village Annex to the County’s All Hazards Mitigation Plan with FEMA. Pelham Manor also supports the utility companies (ConEdison and Veolia) in their efforts to maintain their infrastructure, contemporaneously evaluating sidewalks and signage, while maintaining our separate sanitary sewer system as needed, alongside these larger stormwater projects. While this may result in a more concentrated occurrence of construction work, we will do our best to avoid holidays and busy weekends. Our goal is to realize an extended useful life of infrastructure through a comprehensive approach.

Please feel free to reach out to Village Manager Lindsey Luft at 914-738-8820 to discuss stormwater management or any other service Pelham Manor delivers. Manager Luft and the Board of Trustees look forward to continuing to serve this Village and working toward another year of operational and fiscal success.

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