Gosport Town Council works to alleviate water runoff flooding, recover from tornado

Water runoff causing flooding for town residents was a primary topic of discussion at the June 23 Gosport Town Council meeting.

For one house at the intersection of Second and North streets, water from a drain that was recently cleared had been flooding and gushing into the yard and garage. Town resident Ron Niebel suggested putting a large pipe down or putting up a wall in the area. The council discussed how best to alleviate the flooding without just diverting the water into another person's yard.

"Something has to happen," council member Michael Miller said.

Niebel said the town has been trying to find a solution for the flooding for about three years.

"We're gonna get it fixed," council president Marian McGee said.

At the June 9 meeting, the council approved a motion to purchase three yards of concrete to add a curb at a Fifth Street address to redirect water from flooding the property's yard. The yard, street and sidewalk are level, with nothing to stop the water. But, at the June 23 meeting, McGee said the homeowner decided he did not want a curb added.

The council is reevaluating how to address the issue. McGee said one of the only other options is to raise the sidewalk. The concrete approved at the previous meeting had not been purchased yet.

Also at the June 9 meeting, the council approved a bimonthly meeting schedule from June to September, returning to having meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of those months. The meetings, which are at 7 p.m. at the Gosport Community building, are suggested for the following dates:

• July 14
• July 28
• Aug. 11
• Aug. 25
• Sept. 8
• Sept. 22
• Oct. 13
• Nov. 10
• Dec. 8

Gosport Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian Leonard and the council scheduled a work session to discuss what the town wants to do about creating a fire territory for 9 a.m. July 10. The session will be open to the public and likely take place at Gosport Town Hall at 3 E. Main St., Gosport. According to minutes from the council's April meeting, the town has until June 30, 2027 to progress toward a territory or district.

"If the council does nothing and just rides it out the county will basically take over the fire department," the minutes said.

At the June 23 meeting, Leonard told the meeting attendees that part of County Line Road would be closed the next day. He said crews working to clean debris and trees from the road after the previous week's tornado hauled out 26 loads that day.

The town council will meet again at 7 p.m. July 14 at the Gosport Community Building, 301 N. Ninth St., Gosport.