SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Residents in a Lackawanna County neighborhood are concerned with how an upcoming project may interfere with their properties.
The construction would fix an old underground conduit in Scranton's Green Ridge neighborhood, but first, the homeowners must permit easements, allowing the digging to begin.
The Meadow Brook flood project will allow the city to repair and replace parts of the waterway, but some of these areas are underneath people's homes.
The Meadow Brook Waterway stretches roughly two miles through Dunmore and Scranton, much of it, underground.
However, a lack of maintenance over the last few years has caused property damage to homes along its path.
At Tuesday's City Council Meeting, residents got one step closer to a long-term solution and were able to comment on the process.
Residents 28/22 News spoke with agreed repairs are needed, but they are unsure how this project will affect their homes.
"It definitely needs to be fixed, I know the owners of a couple of the houses over here have been having trouble with it for 20 years at this point. So it's definitely been a problem," said Scranton resident Eric Kadlubowski.
Essentially, the aging pipe needs to be replaced.
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Digging will need to be done on 45 properties along the waterway, requiring easement agreements to be finalized before the project can begin.
"I'm kind of skeptical about it myself. I've got major damages in my backyard due to the thing they're talking about. In my garage, my basement. Everywhere is damaged," Michael Chang, of Scranton said.
Some residents aired their worries in front of Scranton City Council saying there has been a lack of communication from the city on the issue.
"I got a letter back in August saying 127 square feet of my property is going to be under a temporary easement for the project. I have no problem with the project. I have no problem with anything like that, but that's all the info I can get. I've called the number that's on here, I've left multiple messages and no one's called me back," Kadlubowski added.
Residents also wonder how long the project will take.
"How long do we anticipate that the Meadow Brook easement process is going to take? Will I even be alive to see that project completed?," Scranton resident Joan Hodowanitz asked.
Members of City Council 28/22 News spoke with would not comment on the project itself, but say there will be a meeting with city engineers and administrators on Thursday to address any concerns.
