Pocasset School: In Deep Water

After it rains the parking lot behind the Pocasset School on Tiverton's north end more resembles a swimming pool than a place to park a car and the town will have to spend tens of thousands to correct the problem.

Water runoff collects in the southeast corner of the lot and rests against the school's foundation, covering about 100 feet of pavement with standing water up to 18 inches deep. Resident Jim O'Dell worried the poor drainage would undermine the paved parking lot, foundation and - at the very least - pose a safety hazard to students.

"When I saw it, the last rain was four days earlier," said O'Dell as he described the volume of standing water on the parking lot. "There is evidence on the foundation of the school that water has sat against it for a long amount of time and it is already undermining the driveway and it's probably only a short amount of time before it undermines the sidewalks as well."

O'Dell, a contractor, surveyed the drainage problems at the school along with a local excavator and estimated the cost to redirect the water away from the southeast corner of the lot would be about $48,000.

Tiverton Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Stephen Berlucchi was hesitant to accept O'Dell's estimate.

"I think DPW should check any of these design figures before we go out because there is a lot to think about," said Berlucchi.

He said excavators would likely hit ledge when digging in the area, which would raise the costs of digging to redirect the water runoff and added that any project of that cost would need to follow the town's bid process.

According to Town Administrator James Goncalo, the problem began in 2009 after renovations were made to the school. Goncalo said the contractor never designed a mechanism to properly divert the water. 

School Supt. William Rearick is entertaining discussions with the School Committee on how to pay drainage mitigation at the school, but O'Dell urged the council to work with the school department to pay for the project.

"The money is still coming out my wallet as taxpayer at end of day and I would just like to see the problem solved," said O'Dell.

The council directed Goncalo to begin discussions with the school department and DPW to determine the scope of the issue before soliciting bid speculations.

"In the interim we have do something to have that water move out of there more quickly so it does not build up," said council President Edward A. Roderick.

Have you seen the drainage problem at Pocasset? Is it a puddle or a pool? Do you think the town needs to spend $15,000 or more to fix the drainage issue?