Waldwick January 18, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Residents of Cypress Court in Waldwick asked the mayor and council last week to help them with drainage problems on their property. “We’ve seen you’re doing other streets, and we have the same problem,” said Laura Dickman, who said she has lived in her house for more than 30 years, having bought the house from her parents. “Please do something about it,” pleaded Janice Guerra, who said her backyard looked like a lake following recent storms. She said their yards and basements flood whenever it rains hard. Dickman explained that there is an easement run- Borough will try to help with Cypress Court flooding ning along the back of their properties, and the drainage pipe seems to be either clogged or broken. She said that in the past, the town had done some maintenance work on the system, but that the situation had gotten progressively worse over the years. She theorized that perhaps homes from the Longview area, which are higher in elevation, were draining their pools into the Cypress pipe, which is undersized to take additional flow. Borough Administrator Gary Kratz said that the easement had been installed by the developer of the homes in the 1960s, but acknowledged that the situa- The Waldwick Council is adding a standing committee to deal with fire protection issues. The change is being made at the recommendation of a special committee appointed by Mayor Thomas Giordano to review the council committee structure. The council last week approved a change to its bylaws adding the seventh committee to its previous roster. Fire was previously part of the Public Safety Committee, which includes police activities. As per the bylaws, each council member chairs at least one of these committees and serves as a member of at least two others. Council adds new liaison committee tion is now the town’s responsibility. “We’ll look and see what can be done. If it is simply a break in the line, it’s easy to repair; if it’s collapsed, then it’s another ball game. Then we’ll need access, and that’s tricky,” Kratz said. Those residents present at the meeting pledged that access would not be a problem. Kratz said he would order a TV monitoring check of the drainage pipe and ask the borough engineer for an evaluation of the situation. “We have to know what we are dealing with before coming up with a solution,” he said. Kratz also said that if and when the drainage pipe in question becomes functional, it may be able to be connected to the town’s proposed sump pump collection system at a later date. According to the amended bylaws, the Fire Protection Committee shall have primary responsibility for establishing policy for fire department activities and serving as liaison between the fire chief and the borough council. At the governing body’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 1, the mayor appointed Councilman Andrew Brennecke, who is a fireman, to head the new committee, with Councilman Charles Farricker and Councilwoman Anita Bozzo to serve as members. The following council members were appointed (continued on page 19)