York Town News
From the Manager's Desk
Updates on roads, drainage, EEE, bird flu and other important topics
By Town Manager Rob Yandow
Rob Yandow
We are continuing our planning efforts in preparation for a possible influenza pandemic in the United States. In a previous column I mentioned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, in the United States alone, up to 200 million people will be infected, 50 million people will require outpatient care, 2 million people will require hospitalization and between 100,000 and 500,000 people will die. If these estimates are accurate, two-thirds of the United States population will be infected.
One recent article in The Boston Globe (Oct. 31) was troubling in that it related that scientists have discovered a new strain of bird flu that appears to sidestep current vaccines and has resulted in direct infection to humans. The article did indicate, however, that there is no evidence that this strain of virus can easily pass from person to person. Later this month, the town, schools and hospital will again meet to discuss progress in formulating individual plans in anticipation of a possible pandemic.
On Mother's Day weekend in May the town fell victim to an extraordinary flooding event, known as the "Mother's Day Flood," which ultimately led to a presidential disaster declaration. After the declaration was made it was determined that the flooding resulted in over $4 million in public damage and $8 million in private damage. As a result of the flood damage, both Logging Road and Clay Hill Road have been closed to through traffic since the flood event occurred. It is anticipated that Clay Hill Road will be opened by late this week or early next week and that Logging Road will be opened sometime after Dec. 1. Route 91, which has been reduced to one lane since the flood event, will be closed during the day for two weeks starting today while temporary repairs are made. We had hoped to have an agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation in place so that permanent repairs could be made before winter but MDOT could not get the agreement put together in time.
On Aug. 28, representatives of the engineering firm Edwards and Kelcey presented the Board of Selectmen with the long-awaited results of the Stormwater Management Study. According to the cost projections contained in the report, it is estimated that it will require approximately $38 million to implement the recommendations identified by the consultants. Of the approximate $38 million identified, approximately $36 million is necessary for the infrastructure improvements and approximately $2 million is necessary for "non-structural" and culvert upgrades.
Since the presentation to the selectmen, we have been working to formulate a strategy for the Board of Selectmen to consider regarding the manner in which to move forward and implement the recommendations, or a variation of the recommendations, on an incremental basis. One of the obvious issues to address is the total cost to implement the recommendations. Given the projected cost of approximately $38 million, I have written to Senators Snowe and Collins as well as Congressman Allen to explain the project and ask for their assistance in identifying potential funding options for the project. I sent a similar letter to Governor Baldacci's office. As of this writing, I have had conversations with Senator Snowe's office and representatives of the governor's office and we are working to schedule meetings to discuss all of the funding possibilities. While I am optimistic that some funding assistance will be available, it is not known at the current time what level of funding we may be able to obtain.
