Deliberate Decisions
On Moose Hill Parkway / Upland Road Re-Construction
Effect A Flood Control System Terminating at 125 MHP

Un-engineered Redesign Has A Severe Impact On Property

If One Remembers Maxwell House Coffee's Slogan
"Good To The Last Drop!"
This Motto Sums-up The Town's Achieved "Perfection"
In Dumping Water Onto 125 MHP

There is a real and serious problem which has been created with the "improvements" made to Moose Hill Parkway and Upland Road over the past three to four years.  In essence and effect, these improvements have created a flood retention basin on my property, without permission -- in truth, despite my protest, which is observable when it rains and by the residual damage for which there are photographs and inspections available. 

• The flooding occurs as a result of the Town's and/or its sub-contractor's refusal to implement one of several options which I requested in person when the road was being reconstructed. There was even a washout during the re-construction which proved my unheeded assertions.   
• Additionally, the flooding was/is exacerbated by the addition of Cape Cod Berms (curbs) which previously never existed on MHP and now exist to channel over 1/4 mile of water onto my property. These berms were arbitrarily added, in general, and specifically without consideration to the impact on my property.
• Additionally, more berms were added to the Upland Road improvements even though it was already known, as manifest by the addition of a basin on my property, about the already adverse impact the original berms had on my property.
• Finally, the roads were rebuilt without environmental regard for the same silt and sand run-off which the Town insists on its residents.

HISTORY

125 Moose Hill Parkway, hereafter 125 MHP or Sottiles Property, sits in a transition which was less severe by the original grading of the road.  Prior to the improvement, water would collect at the base of the drive. This water was more nuisance than damaging. The run-off that accumulated from the time the road was constructed to the years of the improvement is still present for inspection. By comparison to the few years since the improvements, that run-off onto my property is miniscule.

Across from 125 MHP is the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Sanctuary which sanctimoniously holds sway over most matters on Moose Hill as has been attested by other people, articles in the paper, and their vocal oppositions to just about all matters other than their own self-righteous decisions. 

RECONSTRUCTION OF MOOSE HILL PARKWAY

The natural grade on the Sanctuary side is slightly below that of 125. Had the road never existed, water would flow to Audubon land. Of course, in Sharon, where not even rotted trees or roadside growth can be removed or cutback without cries from and hearings with the Society, no one from The Town wanted to deal with the proper road drainage issue, that is to flow water onto the Sanctuary, when the road was under reconstruction. As I work from home, I was present daily during the re-reconstruction lobbying for relief. Regardless, in comparable words, I was told...

• No way was a storm drain going to dump water onto the Audubon land via drain and pipe.
• And, no way was the Town going to rock the road to dump water over to that side from my property side of the road's crown.

In fact, it was further "explained" that it couldn't possibly be done because of the absoulte need for a crown! Well, the observable facts prove that the road does rock IN THREE PLACES of which one causes TRIPLE the amount of water to flow onto 125 MHP as caluclated in The Numbers.

Further, to reconstruct the road, the Town used a process of reclaiming the original surface with garding stakes set by the contractor. During the period between the grinding / grading and the application of base coat, there was an average summer thunder storm. It washed-out a section at 125 MHP and presaged the future problems. This caused a redoubling my efforts with little avail, save for a slight regrading which moved the run-off about 30 feet, but still on my property. AT THIS POINT, THE ROAD WAS STILL WIDE OPEN AND A DRAIN OR DRAINPIPE UNDER THE ROAD COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN CONSTRUCTED. THOUGH REQUESTED MY ME, IT WAS REFUSED.

As I recall, the road was resurfaced and another rainstorm occurred. At the time the berms were not on, but the increase of water from the smoother road was noticeable. Within a day or two, the berms were randomly added. Moose HIll Parkway re-construction was complete.

With the next rain storms, the obvious became OBVIOUS! All water from the intersection of Moose Hill Parkway and 125 MHP -- about ¼ mile -- on the 125MHP side of the road crown now was channeled onto my property. The math is simple: Crown to curb is 12 feet X 1320 (¼ mile) equals 15,840 square feet. Clearly any amount of rain adds gallons of water debris, and road grim, which includes oil and rubber, to my property.

RECONSTRUCTION OF UPLAND ROAD

To the best of my recollection is was two years latter that Upland Road was reconstructed. It, too, received berms.

Upland Road intersects Moose Hill Parkway after descending from a high point on that road (between # 162 & #168) which is about 3/10 of a mile from the intersection. It would be bad enough that the east-side berms of Upland Road fed water onto Moose Hill Parkway on the 125 MHP side only. It in essence would more than double flow as calculated above.

BUT, ITS WORSE! THE ROAD IS PURPOSEFULLY ROCKED,
AS EVIDENCED BY THE BERM EXTENTION AT THE INTERSECTION OF UR AND MHP WHICH ALSO DUMPS THE WESTSIDE BERM'S FLOW ONTO THE 125 SIDE OF MHP

THIS TRIPLES THE AMOUNT OF RUN-OFF REACHING 125 MHP.

An yet, not even this is all!  The Town then perfected lips on abutting driveways to keep the water channeled on the road. Now, water from the long driveways of 135 and 145 Moose Hill Parkways flows to 125 MHP as well, plus that of Upland Road.

"Every Last Drop" Of Water
That Falls On The Mentioned Areas
Now Flows Onto 125 Moose Hill Parkway.

Sottile's House Is "Maxwell House!"