Keeping Water At Bay

Maria Smith
Cumberland Times-News

Sat, May 17 2008

— CUMBERLAND - On site every day, Wayne Robertson watches as his dream and that of his nephew finally takes shape.
To the uneducated eye, it's mounds of stone, dirt and hundreds of feet of pipe. But to Robertson, it's the coming together of a housing development that will bring additional tax revenue to the city and be environmentally sound.
"People ask me how I feel about this coming together and if I would have done it differently," he said while standing at the crossroads of what will become Allegany Highland Estates on Haystack Mountain. "It's been fun for me. I've kind of enjoyed the whole process.
"It's exciting to see something come to fruition," he added.
The dirt first began to move last April and now in full swing, possibly the most impressive aspect of the whole project is the underground water retention system that Brian Vandevender and his crew with ICF Innovations of Aurora, W.Va., is building.
It was a chance meeting between Robertson and Vandevender at last year's Home Show that brought the two together. Robertson already was looking for someone who dealt with insulated concrete forms, or ICFs, when he met Vandevender. Now, Robertson calls the contractor "a godsend" to the project.
Robertson, along with his nephew, Earl Fatkin, formed Braddock Heights Development to build the residential development between Seton Drive and Camden Avenue. The goal always was to improve the runoff conditions from Haystack into The Dingle and Fayette Street area.
As part of its guidelines, the city requires any development to adhere to the standard that no additional runoff for a two- or 10-year storm be created. City Engineer John DiFonzo once called that a "pretty stringent requirement" and added Allegany Highland Estates goes beyond.
Mike and Royce Coughenour, the brothers behind Coughenour Surveying and Engineering, brought the stormwater management plan all together. The two also worked with DiFonzo.
"This will look better and, I think, it will work better," Robertson said of the underground system, noting it should "help drastically" when it comes to runoff into the West Side.
The work required blasting, which resulted in more than enough stone to take care of what's needed for the project estimated in materials at about $252,000.
The lar-gest of three portions of the retention system is under construction. At 160 feet long, 50 feet wide and up to 25 feet deep, it is Robertson's current priority.
Robertson expects this section to be finished by the end of next week. The two smaller sections, along with water and sewer lines, are expected to be completed by June 1.
In its simplest form, the stormwater project involves rolling out a mesh screen, placing 100-pound black plastic half-pipe looking pieces on top and screwing them together. Vandevender then piles a load of crushed stone on top. Once the three rows are completed, more stone is brought in to cover the entire basin and tamped down until it's level.
The retention systems will collect stormwater and flow to a V-shaped outlet box.
"As it fills up, it goes out a little bit faster," Fatkin said of the outlet, which will release the water into his natural stream.
Fatkin said the city will take over the development once completed, including the stormwater system, which can be inspected by city crews. Sediment also can be swept by vacuum from the system when necessary.
In September, the city entered into a Development Rights and Responsibilities agreement with the partners to contribute $100,000 to the project. Of that, $92,000 is in water and sewer pipes with the remaining $8,000 in land.
"The city has been very good to work with," Robertson said.
Two houses are under construction, with Foxcraft building one and Moccasin Construction - Robertson and Fatkin's company - the other. The next house expected to begin will be Robertson's.
Robertson's goal also is to "go green," or as environmentally friendly, as possible with the homes that will be located on Moccasin Path or Arrowhead Trail. The home he currently has under construction is "50 percent green."
With 26, and possibly 27 lots total, much interest already has been shown.
"Anticipation on our part is tomorrow," Robertson said as to when the project will be finished. "Realistically, it likely will be five years."
Pam McCusker, a real estate agent for Twigg Realty and the one marketing the project, said she expects all the lots to be sold within five years and homes constructed over the next 10 years.
For more information, visit www.alleganyhighlandestates.com.
Contact Maria Smith at msmith@times-news.com.

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