Actions Being Taken by the Borough in Response to the April 2011 Storms and Flooding
Camp Hill Borough Council and staff are aware of and concerned about the flooding and associated losses resulting
from the extraordinary rainfall that occurred in late April. We are aware of the costs and losses of property incurred
by many borough residents. We are aware that the storms – coupled with the already saturated ground from the very wet
March and April – resulted in flooding of homes that had not experienced flooding for many years. We recognize the
hardship that these events have caused.
In addition to the immediate response of Borough staff and the police and fire departments as events unfolded, Council
held a special meeting on May 5. At that meeting, we heard from residents about the impact of the flooding, questions
residents have, suggestions for actions to be taken, and requests for action to alleviate the immediate harm and costs
and to prevent similar occurrences in the future. At the meeting, residents explained the impact the events have had
on them, as well as the shock and further damage they suffered when the second major storm event occurred on April 28th,
shortly after the major storm on April 16th .
Borough Council is taking the following actions to address these issues.
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The Council’s Health and Sanitation Committee (Aubrey Sledzinski, Rich Guerin, and Carl Schultz) will be
responsible for investigating and advising Borough Council and Borough residents of findings and recommended actions
to address these issues.
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With respect to the various areas of the Borough where flooding was most severe, Council has authorized the Borough
engineer, Mark Malarich of Gannet Fleming, Inc., to conduct an assessment of the causes of the flooding and associated
issues and a preliminary analysis of possible actions to eliminate or mitigate these issues, their effectiveness, and
estimated costs. We anticipate that the assessment will be completed in June, and Council will share the results of
the assessment with Borough residents. The assessment will consider the most severely impacted areas, and will address
questions raised by residents at the special meeting about the Route 581 culverts, runoff from the Trindle Road, 32nd
and Market Street commercial corridors, the Willow Park Plaza, the Eisenhower school, Conodoguinet Drive, and other
areas mentioned in the May 5 special meeting.
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Council will convene a citizens’ stormwater advisory group, to assist the Health and Sanitation Committee, and Council,
in evaluating the impacts of the recent events and possible solutions. Council anticipates that the group will include
5 - 7 residents. Residents interested in participating in the advisory group should advise the Borough manager of
their interest, along with contact and address information, and any additional information regarding their interest in
and/or qualifications to serve on the advisory group. A commitment to the work of the group for at least the next
several months will be expected.
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Paving of Conodoguinet Road will be put on hold until flooding and sinkhole issues are addressed.
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Council will consider modifications to Borough Ordinances to promote land development and redevelopment activities
that improve the stormwater management facilities within the Borough.
Although the above list does not include every question or point raised by residents and by Council in relation to the flooding,
we do expect to fully address all of those questions and points in the engineering assessment and/or as part of the work of the
citizens advisory group and the health and sanitation committee.
We will do our best to keep all Borough residents advised as this work proceeds.