The mayor of Antigonish says clean-up from flooding in the town went very well.
Heavy rain and rising temperatures led to flooding late Sunday into Monday; Creighton Lane, Whidden’s Park, Court St., Columbus Field and the back of St. Andrews St, and behind Antigonish Market Square were the main areas affected.
After January’s regular town council meeting Tuesday night, Laurie Boucher, the town’s mayor, said it helped that flooding didn’t happen as fast as it did in 2018.
“The water rose a lot slower this time, so we could adjust- (in Feb. 2018), it was very quick, and within 15-20 minutes we had the back parking lot (on Creighton Lane) flooded,” she said. “This (time), it rose a bit more slowly, and we anticipated it.”
Boucher said town officials had precautions in place; they blocked off Creighton Lane to vehicles and pedestrians Friday afternoon.
She said the affected areas are prone to flooding, and town engineers have been searching for solutions for years.
“The experts say that the more mitigation that you try to put in place is just going to divert the water somewhere else,” she said. “We’ve done what we can, and we deal with the situation.”
Boucher said clean-up costs came from their winter budget, which is holding up pretty well at this point in the season.
She said there’s been thawing and freezing with temperatures dropping and rising quickly, but they haven’t had a lot of actual snow to deal with to date.
