YARMOUTH COUNTY - Overton resident John Kinney says it’s become a common occurrence for the ocean to flood the front of his father’s property just before the Yarmouth Bar on Highway 304. For close to 80 years, William Kinney has lived across the road from the area where a lost to the sea fishermen’s monument stands.
“If you look at my father’s lawn, it’s yellow right up to the rocks where it should be green,” says his son John.
“It will flood there on regular high tides (14-feet, two-inch tides),” he says.
On high-course tides or during hurricanes the flooding is much worse and surrounds the fishermen’s monument in addition to flooding the road and Kinney’s yard.
John Kinney says he’s concerned about people driving that corner as the water is starting to undermine the road.
“You can see the culvert and a hole in the pavement. It’s just caving in and it’s just a matter of time before it collapses,” he feels.
The situation has escalated over time so this year he brought in loads of fill to form a berm along the front of his father’s lawn.
Kinney says he’s approached representatives at several levels of government with no luck to date.
“For the sake of $10,000 they just have to get an excavator and fix it. Erosion has pulled all of the rocks away (from the north side of the shoreline) so just pull all of them back,” he says.
“I’m pretty upset about it. My dad’s been here his entire life, paid his taxes, now he’s got to fill his yard with mud to try to save his lawn.’
Loren Cushing, Municipality of Yarmouth councillor for that district, visited the problem area on Dec. 6 with Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) officials.
"It is not an easy fix and TIR is working on the best solution for Kinney's concern," said Cushing.
