The Village of Pelham will be conducting geotechnical testing at Julianne’s Playground on July 10-12 and July 15 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to an email from Mayor Chance Mullen. While the playground will remain open during testing, the contractors under the Village of Pelham will close off the blacktop area with temporary safety fencing, said the email.
The geotechnical testing is part of the Village’s possible $39 million plan to upgrade rainwater sewers to mitigate the ongoing flooding problem in the North Pelham and Highbrook Avenue areas.
“Geotechnical testing is used to collect or evaluate subsurface data to determine the properties of geologic materials on the site, such as type, chemical composition, compressibility, strength, thickness, or structure. This testing marks the official start of the flood mitigation project’s ‘engineering phase,'” said Mullen.
Mullen said that more testing will occur on the roadways throughout the Village over the coming months as engineers from AI Engineers develop plans for the Village.
The Village of Pelham Board of Trustees voted unanimously on May 28 to begin eminent domain proceedings against the Pelham school district to take land at the district’s Julianne’s Playground that the village says it needs for reservoirs and pumps as part of an overhaul of the stormwater sewer system, according to an email sent in May by Mayor Chance Mullen to residents. Additionally, the geotechnical testing comes three weeks after the Village of Pelham Board of Trustees held a public hearing required under state eminent domain law in which seven of the 10 speakers opposed the Village’s usage of eminent domain on Julianne’s Playground.
According to a separate email from the Pelham Union Free School District, the geotechnical testing was allowed without an access agreement with the District under law related to the Village’s eminent domain proceedings for the flood mitigation project.
To minimize park disruption, the District has requested expedited testing and restoration of the blacktop, according to the email.
The District said in the email to contact the Village of Pelham for any questions and concerns.
