Councillors Voice Concerns Over Clogged Drainage Ditch

After years of maintaining a ditch behind his home, Rocco Falzone finally has some much overdue support for keeping his neighborhood from flooding.

Falzone, 78,  has lived at 55 Tuscano Drive for 28 years, and for 28 years, he has donned his rubber boots and tools to make sure the ditch running behind his house is clear of debris. If he doesn’t do it, his property floods and so do his neighbors on Asti Avenue and the surrounding area. But it’s too much now. He has attended several meetings of the City Council, he’s created a packet documenting the problem, he’s met with local and state officials, but a solution is yet to come.

“His concerns are real and valid,” said Councillor Dan Rizzo. “He’s been incredibly impacted during storm events. It’s not a good situation to put Mr. Falzone in this situation or the neighborhood.”

Rizzo wants officials to go to the problem and see what is happening.

Not only due storms cause problems, but yard waste dumped in the ditch upstream, discarded furniture, tree branches and general trash add to the problem.

“Let’s identify steps that need to be taken,” Rizzo said.

Last week the city council sent a motion presented by Rizzo, Ward 6 Councillor Charles Patch, and Council President Jessica Giannino to the mayor to request a meeting with the state delegation, representatives from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), DPW Superintendent Donald Goodwin, Water/Sewer Foreman Joe Maglione, and Rocco Falzone of 55 Tuscano Ave. to discuss a long term plan to address flooding issues affecting dozens of homes in the Asti and Tuscano Avenue area.

“He’s been fighting the fight for a long time,” Patch said. “The city has been doing their job down there, the state does nothing. “That whole culvert system goes through several cities and needs a complete workover. The DPW is concerned about Mr. Falzone due to his age. The city has done work there the last few years and there has been no flooding. I don’t think the state comes down to the Revere part of it.”

“Twenty-eight years of this and it’s finally falling on someone’s ears and I really appreciate that,” Falzone said, adding he’s been in touch with the Army Corp of Engineers, the DEP and the EPA. “Malden Street to the trash grates hasn’t been touched in 50 years. This is not a one-shot deal this has to be maintained consistently forever.”

Falzone noted that after a walk-through with State Rep. RoseLee Vincent the DOT showed up to clean. Just last week inmates on a work program were picking up trash for a short amount of time, he said.

Josephine and Lisa Hedrington of 102 Asti Ave. said it’s been an ongoing issue, they lost possessions in their basement due to flooding. Lisa Hedrington said it’s not just water it’s also human waste. She disagreed with Patch about the situation getting better. They have added additional drainage to their property.

“These are bedrooms, homes that are contaminated,” Lisa Hedrington said. “And this has happened repeatedly.”