Heavy rain and flooding that ravaged Western Massachusetts in early July wreaked havoc on Berkshire County’s second-largest community, North Adams. When Governor Maura Healey visited the city to survey the damage last month, Mayor Jennifer Macksey estimated the repairs to blown out culverts, gaping sinkholes, washed out roads, and the crumbling flood control system would cost around $2 million. In the following weeks, that number has more than doubled. Macksey tells WAMC that she’s continuing to hold out hope that Healey – and possibly the federal government – will come through with funding to not only patch up but improve the city’s battered infrastructure.
MACKSEY: As we went through that week of July 10th, we identified some areas that were damaged more than we realized- And specifically, our hillside cemetery. A lot of our walls came down due to the heavy rain. So, we're up at about $4.8 million worth of damage. Throughout the first week of July 10th, we were focused on the areas that were most visible. But as things started to calm down towards the end of the week, we started to see water issues in areas that we had never had problems, as well as the cemetery issue, which pumps up the number. As we continue to take on more rain in the following weeks, it made a bad situation even worse in some areas. The good thing is, the rain has subsided a little bit, we're able to get some of our areas open, specifically Brooklyn Street. We’ve temporarily paved it, so at least it's a little bit more passable. But we really are looking for some long-term fixes here in North Adams for our stormwater system. Obviously, the system that we have is old, falling apart. That's no surprise to anyone, but the type of rain that we're getting, the amount, and the length of time- Our system just can't handle it.
WAMC: Has the city learned any lessons from this experience? And has it changed how North Adams goes about monitoring for storms going forward?
If there is a good thing to something like this, we've been able to identify our high impact areas, we've been able to mitigate things as we move on. All of our teams are assigned to certain areas. So, whenever we hear rain in the forecast, we deploy ourselves to different areas. I myself am charged with monitoring the Brooklyn-Fuller area. The team is working really well and making sure those high impact areas are open, and that we're really trying to be proactive in those areas. But there's a lot there, Josh, and we really need some help from the state of Massachusetts and possibly the federal government. We've made inquiries to the state about where we are with that [$12.4 million] threshold, and we just haven't got any confirmation back as if there is going to be any relief for us. So right now, we're just praying that we are going to get some relief from the state, and we're trying to keep our roads as safe as we can and continue to manage the water as we move forward.
Now, when you spoke with Governor Maura Healey on her visit to North Adams, you talked about the need for North Adams to get support for long term infrastructure improvements that the heavy rain and flooding has sort of laid bare. Give us some more details on that- When you think about potential areas where the state or federal government could put money into infrastructure, what comes to mind?
Well, most of it is around the stormwater management systems in our five high impact areas. So similar to the project that we're doing on Massachusetts Avenue, Ashton Ave area, we need to build systems like that in these five areas. We also need to work with the town of Clarksburg to identify where all of their water is coming from. There's been a significant change in the amount of water that we're taking in from the brooks above in Clarksburg, which then ties into the Fuller Street area, the Millard Ave, Barth Street area, and in those surrounding neighborhoods. A lot of it has to do with upkeep, but our big thing is we need to identify where our weaknesses are in those systems, and then hopefully build a stormwater management plan around that. So, we right now are trying to engage, we are engaged with a couple of different engineers to help us identify what the fix will be. But that's a long-term project, and that's also a very expensive project. But our hope is once we build the project, once we identify the needs, that there will be some infrastructure money available to us.
What was your reaction to seeing that the state sent $20 million in farm relief related to the flooding? What does that say to you about how it's prioritizing distributing aid after such significant damage?
Well, let's be real Josh. Those farms got hit really, really hard, and that's their livelihood, and I think that it's great that the state is helping, but we also need help here. We might not be designated as agriculture, and those people are certainly deserving of that support, but we also need the same support. So, the message is, how are you going to help us now? Thank you for taking care of the agriculture, but we need help as well. I really have faith in the Healey-Driscoll administration and also our local legislative branch, and I don't feel we’ll be forgotten. I think it's coming, but it's just got to take a little bit longer. But we're at a turning point. I don't want to spend good money over bad here, and if we're going to get some funding, I'd rather use those resources than using our actual city resources to put band aids on things.
Now, as you look ahead deeper into the year, obviously North Adams is no stranger to rough winters. Setting the stage for more weather later in the year and into next year, what are your thoughts about the city's ability to take on extreme weather as you continue to recover from this significant blow?
Yeah, I think this has been a great learning experience. If there is a good part of ever having flooding like this, it's been a good experience to identify the areas that need supervision and need regular maintenance the most. What my concern is, we haven't even gotten into hurricane season yet. And the question is, what will winter be for us? We have no problem moving snow. But it is the question of what, how can our system handle the melt. And our biggest thing is just being proactive on the ground, Josh, and really identifying the areas and also working with residents. If you see something, you need to say something to us. We're not in every single neighborhood every single day, and if you see something that looks out of the norm, you need to let us know right away. So, we're hopeful that as the weather patterns continue, that we've learned a lot from the July 10th storm and that we're being more proactive in those high impact areas. But it's a wildcard. If we could predict Mother Nature, I don't think any of us would be working in the jobs that we're in right now. But I feel like we're prepared for high impact areas. But the question is, how much snow, how much melt, how much rain we're going to get at once, and we can't predict that now. But again, it's being focused on those areas and being able to maneuver and keep the brooks open, keep the culverts open, and go from there, Josh.
