Frustration is growing in one gated community in the Village of Estero, where many of the streets were still flooded Wednesday after the weekend's rains.
Patrick Kelly, who lives in the Reserve at Estero, just north of Estero Parkway, claims the Village isn't doing enough to help drain the standing water, which he says is pent up on the east side of the nearby railroad tracks.
"I filled out a request Sunday for them to fix the drainage issue that's blatant up by the railroad tracks," Kelly said. "I got an auto-response and haven't heard a thing."
He said Reserve management initially told him there might be a blockage in the culvert under the tracks, and wants the Village to get the water to other side somehow.
"If they will (just) fix the ditch, or pump the water over that ditch to where it's just trickling," Kelly said.
But Village of Estero council member Jon McLain said staff found nothing blocking up the culvert.
"No," said McLain, who lives in nearby Belle Lago, another community that saw significant flooding. "We've had Village personnel out during this entire event, and they have not been able to identify any issues."
McLain said that the only thing slowing the drainage from the Reserve is the water that's already trying to get through the culvert under the train tracks.
"With the amount of rain that we had, (along) with previous rainfall, the ground was saturated," he said. "The system was designed to handle less amounts than what we've received, and that's why we have the back-up."
McLain added that the Village Council recently met with engineering firms about making improvements to Estero Parkway - such as re-surfacing and making it more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists - but will also likely consider making improvements for storm water drainage.
