Freshtown tells new East Branch Flood Commission: We'll be open by June 1

Freshtown, the Margaretville supermarket that is still closed seven months after it was heavily damaged in the Irene floods, announced to local officials this week that work is being done in the building, and they hope to be "fully operational" by June 1.

Freshtown's news was announced in a prepared statement, read to local officials at a meeting on Thursday, March 29 of the newly-formed East Branch Flood Commission.

The commission is a group of local officials and stakeholders, convened in the wake of the Irene and Lee floods, who are seeking to fund flood mitigation projects in the East Branch river basin. The March 29th meeting was their third.

Middletown supervisor Marge Miller chairs the commission.

At the meeting, the commission also adopted the following mission statement:

·      Identify flood risks in the Town of Middletown, Villages and outlying areas including the Towns of Roxbury, Halcott & Hardenburgh

·      Educate and inform residents, businesses, government officials and local agencies of flood risks

·      Work with local, state and federal officials and agencies to:

1.    Identify projects and programs that reduce the incidence and impacts of flooding and

2.    Work together regionally to fund these projects and associated programs throughout our area and

3.    Enhance and encourage economic development in flood safe areas and

4.    Educate the wider public regionally as to the mitigation & flood planning and recovery efforts that are in process

The minutes from the meeting are embedded below this post.

(Noted: The fact that an attendee raised the question of how to get information from the group out into the community, "given that the local news did not attend." There is a shortage of reporters in this region, and with a wealth of technical information now emerging about flooding and disaster planning in the region, we could use a vital local press corps more than ever.

We were unable to send a reporter to the meeting last night, but will try to do so in future -- and will also seek to publicize any reports, presentations or other information about local flood mitigation, planning and recovery that are made available to us.)

E. Branch Flood Comm. Minutes 3.29