Several homeowners on Lehigh Drive in Middletown have asserted that a plan submitted by Christian Brothers Academy to expand and modify existing school facilities will negatively impact their properties, which are near the school’s property.
On Dec. 4, a group of residents attended a meeting of the Middletown Planning Board to express their frustration with the school’s plan to renovate and expand the facilities at 850 Newman Springs Road.
The homeowners, many of whom have lived in Middletown for decades, told board members they believe additional construction at CBA will exacerbate what they described as a flooding issue on their properties.
The residents, whose backyards are adjacent to wetlands, said their properties are routinely flooded and they said the situation is elevated after a rainfall.
Some residents said they have gone through several pool liners and sump pumps. Some residents reported flooding in their basement. Others explained that they cannot use their backyard.
“Unless the state wants to come in and drain this whole area and run a tributary to the Navesink River, (the problem) is not going to be solved. You are creating a bigger problem for the residents on Lehigh Drive,” resident Bill Heaney said to board members and the applicant’s representatives.
Heaney, who has owned his home on Lehigh Drive since 1985, said the flooding has gotten worse over the past few years.
“This problem isn’t going to go away, believe me. Every time it rains, it’s sickening … We are paying $15,000 in property taxes … I don’t pay $15,000 to have (another) swimming pool in my backyard. I already have one,” Heaney said.
He provided the applicant’s representatives and the board members with information and photographs which pertain to flooding on his property and CBA’s property. Board members discussed the photographs for more than one hour.
Resident Leonard Ruggieri, who lives behind CBA, said, “Flooding is something we all have been facing since this development (was constructed). (Residents on Lehigh Drive) need to learn to live with it … They get scared and frightened by all the water and rain. I tell them they need to learn to live with it.’
Jaclyn Scaduto, who has lived on Lehigh Drive for two years, said, “our backyard is useless. (My children) are always in the front yard. It is what it is. It’s a great neighborhood, but there is so much water in the backyard … it’s just terrible.”
Scaduto said she and her neighbors walked with CBA’s representatives behind their homes. She said the school’s representatives showed the residents water surveys and “described the whole project” at the school.
Scaduto said there is a stagnant stream behind the properties on Lehigh Drive.
“There is zero flow, (the applicant) saw it. We all see it. To that effect, when it does rain, the water is not draining, it’s not flowing, it’s not moving,” Scaduto said.
Board member Carl Rathjen said the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders may need to be involved in the matter. He said the creek Scaduto was speaking about could serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The board’s attorney, James Gorman, said part of the creek is on CBA’s property and part of it runs through the homeowners’ properties.
“Our laws are so strict about the regulation of springs and wetlands,” Gorman said. “If this was easy, it would have been done … The (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) is not going to come out here and clean up (the creek)
“… That’s just the way it is. (The DEP) is protecting the environment and (residents) happen to be in a flood area that is flooding. There is no simple solution,” Gorman said.
Board members and the applicant’s representatives said they are taking the situation seriously. No decision was reached on Dec. 4 and discussion of the CBA application will continue at the Jan. 8 meeting of the Planning Board.
According to a legal notice published by attorney John Giunco, who represents the school, CBA is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to improve its amenities. The school’s 143-acre property is in a Rural Estate Residence Zone in the Lincroft section of Middletown.
The proposed expansion and renovations are as follows: demolish and reconstruct the existing Benilde Hall with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements; construct an addition to the existing Alumni Hall with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements; construct an addition to the existing cafeteria building and include a building entrance canopy with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements.
Also, demolish and reconstruct the existing McKenna Hall with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements, including the construction of an internal driveway connecting the faculty parking lot; construct a proposed tennis pavilion and proposed new track and field improvements.
CBA also seeks to renovate the existing Valentine Hall and construct a deck area with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements; demolish and reconstruct the existing Round Barn, including the construction of a covered practice field with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements; and make improvements to the existing baseball field.
The proposed soccer and lacrosse field improvements would include an artificial turf soccer/lacrosse field and bleachers with associated walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements. The existing track and field improvements will be demolished.
Finally, CBA is proposing a new eight-lane running track, bleachers and storage/bathroom building with walkways, landscaping, parking, lighting and drainage improvements; and a proposed rugby field improvement that would include the installation of a gateway arch.
