Resident tells council neighbor's pool and concrete are flooding his yard; officials promise follow-up

At the April 2 Hamilton Township Council meeting, resident Rocco Sharapa III of 12 Christopher Drive told council members that stormwater from a neighbor’s newly installed pool and surrounding concrete has been diverting runoff into his backyard and creating persistent flooding problems.

Sharapa described the installation as occurring several years ago and said the neighbor’s yard and concrete are “at least a good 8 to 10 inches higher” than his, that the neighbor’s grading and downspout work have sent water into his property, and that prior engineering visits have not solved the issue. "He created the yard. His yard is higher than mine, and his concrete goes right to my fence," Sharapa said. He also said he paid "$3,000 for a drain to put in, and it doesn't work." (public comment, resident)

During a back-and-forth with council members and staff, attendees and councilors discussed whether the pool installation required planning or zoning board approval and whether grading and property-line setbacks were followed. One council member said those details were not known and would need to be checked. Engineering staff and the business administrator were cited as the offices that would follow up; Sharapa named Fred Dumont as an engineering contact he had spoken with.

The council did not provide a definitive remedy at the meeting. Unidentified Speaker 3 said the business administrator and township attorney would investigate the matter and gather more information before the council could direct a specific course of action: "Our business administrator and our attorney are gonna look into this, and they're gonna get more information... because we just don't have enough information to even be able to say definitively what could or could not be done." The council asked Sharapa to provide contact information before leaving so staff could follow up.

Context and next steps: Council members noted possible processes including planning/zoning review, engineering verification of grading and swales, and standard enforcement remedies; if the neighbor lacked required approvals, the township may have enforcement options. The council committed to follow up through the business administrator and township attorney and to contact the resident.

Clarifying details: Sharapa gave his address as 12 Christopher Drive (ZIP 08620) and provided a contact phone number during public comment (609-540-1820). He said the problem has persisted for three to four years and that a previously installed shallow drain and other adjustments had not stopped runoff into his yard. The council recorded follow-up tasks for administration and legal staff.