THE CHATHAM VOICE
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
PAGE 7
News
St. Clair Estate or waterpark? By Bruce Corcoran bruce@chathamvoice.com
Before the Thames River overflowed its banks last week, Chatham had another serious flooding incident in a section of town that’s about as far removed from the
Thames as you can get. St. Clair Estates. Randy Coote, chairman of the St. Clair Estates Tenants Association, said the private mobile home park floods all too often. “The last really big one was in November of 2011,” he said. “This
time around, we had 1012 inches of water sitting over the streets and in people’s yards.” It was so bad that the wake from passing vehicles was damaging the skirting around some of the homes, Coote’s wife Brenda said.
He agreed. “We were getting waves here on Regency Street. The wake from cars was hitting the house. People’s skirting was being ripped off from the waves from some of these vehicles,” he said. He added this year’s
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Water in St. Clair Estates reached upwards of a foot deep last week, following heavy rains. Such flooding is too commonplace, residents say.
Injured worker meeting March 8 The Chatham Voice
If you are feeling stressed about dealing with an injury at work, the Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic and its area counterparts are hosting a clinic that may answer some of your questions. On March 8, there will be an Injured Worker Community Meeting featuring a panel, peer support and one-on-one advice from legal experts at the UNIFOR Local 127 office
at 405 Riverview Drive (Lower Boardroom) in Chatham from 6-8 p.m. The event is free and is open to injured workers and their families with free refreshments and features public talks on knowing your rights as an injured worker and other services the local legal clinic can offer you. To register for the event or for more info email meg_86_@hotmail.com. Registration is recommended.
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to get the issues presented to the owners. It’s a matter of working together,” he said. The frustration also comes from the fact the streets in the park aren’t assumed by the municipality. “There are times we feel we aren’t part of Chatham-Kent. It’s private property. It can be frustrating when you’re trying to get help,” Coote said. The water did dissipate quickly, he said, as within 48 hours the roads were back to normal. “But it was a long two days.”
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flood had several contributing factors, notably the heavy rain and the snow load that those rains washed away. “Part of the problem is that our sewers here haven’t been cleaned properly after the snowstorms. The debris contributed to our flooding,” he said. The flooding was such a problem for the Cootes that they had to carry their dog about 100 feet through the water to find solid enough ground for the animal to answer the call of nature. Coote said the tenants’ association has to sit down with the park’s owners to discuss what needs to be done to prevent the flooding from recurring. “The situation is quite an undertaking to go through and see what’s needed,” he said. “There have been flooding problems here dating back to the 1980s.” Coote said the all-too regular flooding has strained the patience of many a St. Clair Estates resident. “Residents are very frustrated. We try our best
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