After my post this morning about flooding in Island Park, I received three communications from the Portsmouth Town Council. Keith Hamilton called me at home, expressed concern about the situation, and said that he had already called RI DOT to file a complaint and try to get some action.

Update: Councilor Mike Buddemeyer emailed to let me know he called a contact at RIDOT and sent him the the pictures so he could see the situation first-hand.

Update 2: Councilor Jim Seveney sent an e-mail after work saying that he was continuing to follow events. I didn't ask him to do anything, because by that point, I'd already received the note from Dolce saying that the bus location would be moved. But I appreciate — and suggest that my Island Park parents and neighbors remember — that we got support from Hamilton, Buddemeyer, and Seveney.

Paul "Transparancy" Kesson, on the other hand, replied by e-mail, attached below; my response to him follows.

To: kessonp@gmail.com
Cc: Town Council
Subject: Re: Island Park flooding and school bus safety
Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:07:11 -0400

Hi, Paul...
Thanks for your quick response and your suggestion; I have filed a complaint with RIDOT. Do I correctly infer from your e-mail that you expect citizens to deal with RIDOT without your assistance?

This seems out of character, given the Council's active role in other issues in Island Park where you have repeatedly stepped in between citizens and state agencies.

I must say that this response leaves me very dissatisfied.

Councilor Keith Hamilton, on the other hand, just phoned me to let me know that he had personally called RIDOT to file a complaint and try to get some action.

I'll let my neighbors in Island Park decide which of these responses they find more helpful.

Best Regards.
-John

On Thu, 2011-09-08 at 13:27 +0000, kessonp@gmail.com wrote:
> John
>
> This has been a problem at the area near the clamshack for over a year and
> I went to the RIDOT website and made a formal complaint. I also noticed RIDOT
> had their loader on the beach and dug out the Strom drains earlier this week.
> In the period after my contact RIDOT cleaned the manholes last spring there
> and at Sprague Street and. East Main Road.
>
> I would suggest you got to the RIDOT website under customer service and contact
> them again as another formal complaint.
>
> There was a formal complaint filed last week for the area at Dexter and East
> Main as all the water is going down I believe is Potomac and flooding yard
> and basements during a normal 3 day rain.
>
> Paul