Residents frustrated that no one claims full responsibility for Earlville street
EARLVILLE – Large puddles of standing water that are often splashed up against Scott Ogden’s new cabinet-making shop on West Main Street in the Village of Earlville don’t seem to be anyone’s responsibility.
The Village of Earlville street splits Madison County from Chenango County right down the middle, and despite a maintenance agreement between the two, neither county wants to shoulder the full cost of installing drainage on the western end.
“Water just builds up along the edges. The puddles are big enough that the splash reaches up on the building when cars go by. There’s no drainage. No ditching. The road edges have become higher than the road surface and actually hold the water in,” the owner of West End Cabinet Shop said.
Ogden first noticed the drainage problem out front after he began his business in June of 2004. After filing a complaint with the Village of Earlville and, later, Madison County officials, he was directed to contact the Chenango County Department of Public Works. The highway superintendent there “tried to not own up to responsibility of road,” he said.
“As time has gone by, I’m hot and cold on the problem. I forget about it. But then after a heavy rainstorm, it bothers me again,” he said. “I can’t walk out to the mailbox safely.”
An agreement for maintenance and maintenance only exists between the two counties, Chenango’s DPW Director Randy Gibbon said. Existing potholes on the pavement and shoulders are scheduled to be filled this fall, but Chenango County is not responsible for putting in a drainage system.
“It’s been that way for years and years. The road is too flat. There’s no place to put in drainage there anyway,” he said. “We don’t mind maintaining it, though it has been a low priority compared to everything we have going on with the floods. But we aren’t going to build anything on a Madison County road.”
Madison County Highway Superintendent Joseph Slivinski said the two counties have shared capital work on the road in the past. “My understanding of the agreement is that both counties would share the cost of something like that.”
Copies of the written agreement between the two counties date back to 1964. On at least two occasions between then and now, Chenango County has shared in the cost for road repairs that go beyond maintenance.
Ross Primer, whose electric business is across West Main from Ogden’s, said there has been water in front of his building for 16 years.
“The road is always breaking up in front of our parking lot. There are deep holes. It’s not good. There’s always holes in the road and I think that probably comes from water being there,” he said.
The Village of Earlville street splits Madison County from Chenango County right down the middle, and despite a maintenance agreement between the two, neither county wants to shoulder the full cost of installing drainage on the western end.
“Water just builds up along the edges. The puddles are big enough that the splash reaches up on the building when cars go by. There’s no drainage. No ditching. The road edges have become higher than the road surface and actually hold the water in,” the owner of West End Cabinet Shop said.
Ogden first noticed the drainage problem out front after he began his business in June of 2004. After filing a complaint with the Village of Earlville and, later, Madison County officials, he was directed to contact the Chenango County Department of Public Works. The highway superintendent there “tried to not own up to responsibility of road,” he said.
“As time has gone by, I’m hot and cold on the problem. I forget about it. But then after a heavy rainstorm, it bothers me again,” he said. “I can’t walk out to the mailbox safely.”
An agreement for maintenance and maintenance only exists between the two counties, Chenango’s DPW Director Randy Gibbon said. Existing potholes on the pavement and shoulders are scheduled to be filled this fall, but Chenango County is not responsible for putting in a drainage system.
“It’s been that way for years and years. The road is too flat. There’s no place to put in drainage there anyway,” he said. “We don’t mind maintaining it, though it has been a low priority compared to everything we have going on with the floods. But we aren’t going to build anything on a Madison County road.”
Madison County Highway Superintendent Joseph Slivinski said the two counties have shared capital work on the road in the past. “My understanding of the agreement is that both counties would share the cost of something like that.”
Copies of the written agreement between the two counties date back to 1964. On at least two occasions between then and now, Chenango County has shared in the cost for road repairs that go beyond maintenance.
Ross Primer, whose electric business is across West Main from Ogden’s, said there has been water in front of his building for 16 years.
“The road is always breaking up in front of our parking lot. There are deep holes. It’s not good. There’s always holes in the road and I think that probably comes from water being there,” he said.
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