It was in the fall of 2014 when Jake Rabinowitz, a longtime resident of Washburn Street, noticed that his Teaneck backyard was drier than in past years. This came as a surprise to him as his backyard had suffered from heavy erosion in past years when rains and snow melt would rush downhill from Tokoloka Park towards the Hackensack River, occasionally detouring through Jake’s basement. At the time Jake was unaware that a neighbor of his had built a concrete retaining wall on his property “upstream” from Jake’s lot that acted as a dam, in the process blocking the previous runoff.
By the following spring, however, Jake noticed that, for some inexplicable reason, water began to flow regularly past his front yard, a direct result of a sump pump his neighbor had installed on his property to deal with the “lake” that was regularly forming there from the retaining wall he had installed. Jake was familiar with the teachings of Hillel, particularly the necessity of avoiding conflict with neighbors and not being overly judgmental. So Jake decided to take a peaceful approach to resolving his problem. After researching all issues, Jake concluded that his neighbor was completely within his rights to install the sump pump on his property and use it as he did. But the result of that conclusion was the very un-Hillel-like result that Jake’s property would remain “beachfront property” year round.
As winter came, the water in front of Jake’s driveway froze into a skating rink posing all kinds of hazards for pedestrians. By March of 2016, Jake was resigned to never coming up with a solution, when he received notice from the township that a major street improvement had been scheduled for his neighborhood, involving repaving, replacing old water mains and installing strategically placed catch basins.
Jake viewed this municipal development as a fortuitous opportunity and possible answer to his dreams. Immediately he decided to contact the town building department to discuss the details of the project and see if the town would be willing to help him solve the water issue. He made an appointment to meet with the town engineer and spent an hour in her office going over the project plans. Jake told the engineer that the plan as proposed would not deal with the needs of the street and in particular ignored the realities of the water flow in front of his house. Jake thought that his problem could be remedied by the town if, in addition to putting storm drains where they proposed at the bottom of the street, they would likewise place catch basins at the midpoints of the block near the sump pump outlet.
The engineer heard Jake’s proposal, but was noncommittal. It would add additional cost and would require consultation with the project design team. Jake was obviously disappointed by the engineer’s position. But just before leaving the office, Jake happened to glance at the plans one last time and suddenly noticed that the street that ran parallel to and was configured similarly to Jake’s street (Dearborn Street) in fact had a 300 foot drain running it’s length with—you guessed it—a catch basin at the midpoints of the street! This was exactly what Jake had been proposing as a solution to Washburn Street’s water problem. The engineer confirmed Jake’s discovery and immediately committed herself to investigate the site. A short time later the town engineer, along with the project design team and a town council member, visited Washburn Street, observing the extensive water flow on a sunny day in April. They concluded that Jake’s proposal should be adopted.
Whether or not this is the typical way problems get solved in Teaneck, the resolution of this particular problem was accomplished in a fashion that Hillel would have approved of. No rancor among neighbors, a municipality sensitive to the reasonable needs and requests of its residents and a spirit of working together that led to a resolution achieved free of litigation and strife. In these fractious, political and social times, it’s good to know that we can not only differ without being difficult, but that the appeal of the common man will every so often be heard above the drilling, shoveling and blasting of municipal life.
By Joseph Rotenberg
Joseph Rotenberg, a frequent contributor to The Jewish Link, has resided in Teaneck for more than 40 years with his wife Barbara. He has spent most of that time searching his surroundings for signs of intelligent life. His first collection of short stories and essays entitled Joseph’s Travels: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, Humor and Enchantment will be published by Gefen later this year.
