Swathmore Avenue residents upset about flooding, shaking houses

Swathmore Avenue residents told Gloucester City Council how upset they are with their houses shaking and their street flooding due to contractors replacing the I-76 bridge over Klemm Avenue.

“The noise at night is unbearable. There are cracks in the foundation and the concrete. My whole house is shaking,” the homeowner at 40 Swathmore Ave. said during the council meeting on Monday, Sept. 25.

Also, contractors created an access road to their work at the end of the dead end street that has created a lot of flooding whenever it rains.

“There are large trucks and excavators going down our street at 10 p.m.,” the resident said, adding that sewer pipes have been broken and that water is seeping into basements.

“My house is shaking all night and the street floods,” another neighbor said. “Positive drainage needs to be done now. This is ruining the integrity of our homes. The foundations are cracking.”

“The whole block vibrates. Things are falling out of my cabinets,” said a homeowner at 58 Swathmore Ave. “The drain sewer is totally blocked. We have flooded basements. What is Gloucester City or the state going to do about this?”

City Administrator Brian Morrell told her, “The contractor should be paying for all the damage, and fixing the damage inside and outside of your house.”

As for the access road, Morrell said that the bridge replacement project is in phase four and is almost finished. When it is completed, the access road should be closed. Then, the contractors will fix the broken sewer pipes and repave the street.

Both Morrell and Solicitor Howard Long urged the residents to document any and all damage to their homes.

“Keep a daily diary. Document, document, document,” Long said.

The council meeting opened with Mayor Dayl Baile swearing in James Burkhardt as the newest Gloucester City police officer. He is the son of retired Police Lieutenant Steve Burkhardt.

In other business, Council members passed a series of resolutions by consent agenda, including authorizing a request for proposals for a consultant to assist the city in creating a five-year Zone Development plan.

They also approved an ordinance on first reading allowing the sale of property for three homes on Ridgeway Street and one on King Street that the city had acquired during foreclosure proceedings.

The second reading and public hearing will be at the next council meeting on Monday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.