SHERIDAN – The town of Sheridan did not escape without damage from flooding this past week. At a recent Sheridan Town Board meeting, Highway Superintendent Jeffrey Feinen announced that several roads in the town were damaged due to flooding.

“I’m estimating about $50,000 to $60,000 in damage. That could swing either way,” Feinen said.

Among the roads that were damaged were Straight, Meyers, Newell, South Roberts, Stone Quarry, Cook, Chapin, O’Brien, East Middle and Pennsylvania Avenue. Sheridan Bay Park on Route 5 also received significant damage washing away the park’s beach.

“If any of the board members have been down to Sheridan Bay Park, we no longer have a beach. It looks like Pluto – rocky, rough terrain down there,” Feinen said.

Meyers and Straight Road were among the two that received the most damage in addition to a South Roberts Road bridge receiving damage enough to have the bridge closed. According to Feinen, flood waters were going a foot higher than the jersey barriers so the road was closed completely. An engineer is going to examine the bridge before the barriers will be removed, Feinen added.

“That road is technically closed, there’s people driving through it but it’s at their own risk,” he said.

Cleanup and repair work has started on Straight and Meyers roads. Cook Road, which received 3 feet of water rushing down it, held up remarkably well. A creek that is parallel to the run jump its banks, said Feinen, but the only damage was around 150 feet of shoulder that was washed out. For residents who received damage in the flood, they may fill out a form for assistance. The form, which is available at the town clerk’s office, will be then faxed to the county department of emergency services and there is individual assistance.

“It’s very difficult to get that individual assistance but it’s not impossible,” Town Clerk Julie Szumigala said.

Szumigala also said there are loans available for those who may have not had flood insurance or who were under insured. The county landfill will also accept any flood-related debris for free for at least five days, Szumigala said. She also added residents can call 211 to find out more information.

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