Chairman says voting machine debacle will cost county more money

NORWICH – Residents of Plymouth Street and Willard Court are still waiting for the old dam to be pulled out of Canasawacta Creek. After the weather provided several days with temperatures in the 60s, the families in these neighborhoods want to know when conditions will allow the dam to be pulled.

“All we get is promises, promises,” said Jean McDowell, a 47-year resident of Willard Court. The Department of Public Works and the City of Norwich have promised to remove the dam. Working with Stearns & Wheler, an engineering consulting firm located in Cazenovia, they have said the water needs to be at a low flow and they will need about a week of dry weather before the dam can be removed, but area residents are fed up with the delays. “It’s been months. There have been times when they could have been here,” McDowell said.

Plymouth Street resident Larry Davey has been standing in the creek every day, measuring the water level. Last week, he estimated the water level in some spots was only nine inches. “It’s not going to get better than this,” McDowell said.

City of Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano encourages residents in these areas to be patient. “The more we get worked up and anxious about this, the more difficult it’s going to be,” Maiurano said. “We’ll do it as soon as we can.” According to the mayor, Stearns & Wheler is making all of the decisions at this time. “We have to go with the experts. When they tell us it’s right, we’ll do it.”