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Community Corner

Spring Rain Brings Water Pains in Maple Grove

May rain has cause minor basement flooding and delayed gardening for some residents. More storms are expected during Memorial Day weekend.

Some Maple Grove residents might say it was one of the hardest winters they  experienced in years. Now, they may be experiencing one of the wettest springs.

According to weather.com, Maple Grove has received almost five inches of rain in May alone. At least three of those inches fell during May 21 and 22 weekend.

While May showers may bring spring flowers, too much at one time is causing problems for some homeowners. Just ask Maple Grove resident Justin Juettner who's still working to dry out his basement from recent storms. 

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"I knew it was raining, but we had never had any issues before so we didn't even check our basement. Then on Tuesday night we went down to do laundry. The second we opened the door , we could smell it," he said. "The sump pump had stopped and water had flooded all the way from the laundry room into the finished room. The carpet was soaked and there was still a little standing water in the utility room."

Nothing was really damaged, he said, but there was a bad odor and wet carpet. 

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“We called the plumbing company out to replace the sump pump and our insurance provider out to file a claim. We moved everything out of the basement and removed all the baseboards and trim which were pretty wet," he said. "Now, we're ripping out the carpet and padding. We're then going to try and dry everything up with fans. Then we will replace the carpet and hope it doesn't happen again.” 

Also hoping for a break in the weather is Alice Cummings, who works with the Community Garden.

"All this rain has set us back two to three weeks in planting. We keep scheduling planting days and then having to reschedule them," Cummings said. "The combination of cool weather and the rain leaves us with a lot of catching up to do."

Church members and nearby residents have their own personal garden plot and some also plant a variety of vegetables in an area set aside for a communal garden. The harvest from the communal garden is later donated to C.R.O.S.S. foodshelf. Last year, Lord of Life donated 8,000 pounds of produce. However, Cummings is concerned whether they will reach this year's goal due to such a late start in planting.  

“If the rain will stop long enough for us to plant and if it would warm up a bit, we get in and plant our vegetable seeds and plants,” Cummings said. “The ones we do have in the ground, we are hoping they will hang in there and not die from the overload of water.” 

One thing the rain hasn’t put a stop to is the construction of new homes in the area. Scott Koppendrayer of LDK builders said normally the rain is not conducive to building contractors, but it has softened up the ground enough to start new construction.  

“Generally the rain sets us back and sets back our contractors and landscapers, but the recent rains have helped soften the ground for us to dig deep enough to put in the cement frames for two new homes,” Koppendrayer said.

It appears the rain isn't ready to take a holiday quite yet. Forecasts for Memorial Day weekend predict a chance of rain and possibly thunderstorms, according to weather.com.

 

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