After nearly a year of study, residents of the East Mountain section of Scranton are invited to learn about planned improvements to stormwater infrastructure in their community. Residents can attend a community meeting on Wednesday, October 25, at 5:30 p.m., at Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School, 1615 E. Elm St., Scranton.
“Effective stormwater management is currently on the minds of so many Scranton residents,” said Mayor Paige G. Cognetti. “The input we gathered directly from East Mountain resident about the issues that have impacted their neighborhood for years was critical to building a plan for the future. The results of this yearlong study provide us with a roadmap to create positive changes across that community and down the mountain into South Scranton.”
In November 2022, the City launched an online data collection form for East Mountain residents to submit information about recent and historic stormwater issues. That data helped inform the yearlong study and survey of the area conducted by Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG), the firm that was awarded the East Mountain stormwater contract in mid-2022. The HRG study includes an estimated nine locations to be improved.
This stormwater project is part of the City’s original American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending plan, approved in May 2022. That plan included more than $17 million to address stormwater issues across the City, including but not limited to the East Mountain.
September Storm Response
Meanwhile, the City is working to implement the findings of the September 2021 Keyser Valley Stormwater and Flood Mitigation Study prepared by Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI). The City is currently in the design process with GPI, and a community meeting is planned for the future but a date has not been finalized.
That study called for more than $8.6 million in potential stormwater management improvements including, but not limited to, new water conveyance systems and a new pump station on Merrifield Avenue. Residents can find the 2021 study online at scrantonpa.gov/Stormwater-Management by clicking on the button labeled “Keyser Valley Storm-water and Flood Mitigation.”
ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) OF 2021: ARPA is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill. The City of Scranton was awarded $68.7 million in ARPA funds to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its economic impacts. The mission of Scranton’s ARPA program is to give people access to resources, rebuild the infrastructure systems that impact their everyday lives, and foster equitable wealth generation that targets the needs of Scranton residents.
Last modified: October 20, 2023
