BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- In the wake of the recent storm and flooding that hit Potsdam, the village is looking for grant funding to help update its stormwater management system.

At their Aug. 19 meeting, the mayor and board of trustees approved a resolution which directs village staff to find funding for upgrades.

The resolution states village personnel will be authorized to identify potential sources of federal and state grants and debt financing that can be used on stormwater management facilities.

Staff are asked to find funding sources and report back to the board by Sept. 30.

The village, like other communities in the North Country, took a shellacking during the storm and flooding event that occurred August 9.

The National Weather Service estimated that up to 7 inches of rain fell on the village during the storm in what is considered a 100-year-rainfall event.

Village police, public works and fire crews were busy during the storm, answering emergency calls and pumping out basements. The fire department alone answered about 93 calls for service, which included washed out roads, flooded basements, disabled vehicles, a collapsed ceiling, underwater propane tanks, carbon monoxide leak, gas leak, electrical problems and a possible vehicle fire.

At the top of the meeting, Village Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke said once potential funding sources had been found, she recommended that the village engage an engineering firm to design stormwater retention ponds and other stormwater management strategies. 

"As discussed, I think that will be a lot of ongoing work and I agree with Trustee (Monique) Tirion that it will be a team effort," said Wilke, after the measure later passed. 

During his remarks earlier in the meeting, Department of Public Works superintendent Greg Thompson praised village officials for taking a proactive approach towards dealing with future flooding events.

"I don't think, always, we are going to see rainfall as often and as intense as we've seen this summer, but I do think it is a reality. So I commend the board and staff for not kicking the can down the road anymore. Let's take a stand on this. Let's get things taken care of," Thompson said.

"The other night in that storm, in all honesty the Crosstown Canal could have been twice the size of it is. It wouldn't have taken the amount of water that was coming into the head wall up behind the school. It was insane," the DPW supervisor said.