MIDLAND BEACH — A new sign welcomes visitors to enjoy Staten Island's only resort at "Grimsby Lake," which opens after every rainfall.
Sick of the city doing nothing to fix Grimsby Street, which residents say has flooded for years after it rains, Aiman Youssef created a mock tourism sign for the flood-prone block.
"I had enough," said Youssef, who runs the nonprofit Half-Table Man that started to help the neighborhood recover after Hurricane Sandy.
"I've been fighting, fighting to get the politicians going and the [city] doing something, and I said let me make something that makes sense to everybody."
The sign mockingly refers to the block as a new "allseason resort" and is filled with pictures of people swimming, fishing, kayaking and jet skiing at other lakes.
"Even when it's not raining, there's water and in winter time there's ice skating," said Youssef, who posted the sign Monday on a friend's fence at the corner of Mapleton Avenue.
In July, City Councilman Steven Matteo called on the city's Department of Environmental Protection to work on temporary measures to help drain the block while residents wait for a $22 million long-term solution.
"This is no way for anyone to live," Matteo said in a statement. "People should not have to leave their homes to the sight of a lake every day."
Matteo said the problem lies with Grimsby Street's seepage basins, which aren't connected to storm water lines and overflow, causing flooding on the block for years, even during minor rainfalls.
Youssef said the block holds the flooding for days and is a breeding ground for insects during the summer.
Construction on the Mid-Island Bluebelt is expected to help, but Matteo suggested the Department of Environmental Protection could install a temporary pipe to funnel rain water to wetlands or use their trucks to pump the street after storms in the meantime.
"DEP and DOT continue to work with Council Member Matteo to evaluate any potential short term solutions in advance of the completion of the Mid-Island Bluebelt," DEP spokesman Edward Timbers said.
Youssef commended Matteo's work on the issue and said he thought the sign might help draw attention to the flooding and force a solution.
"This year it has to be fixed," he said. "We had enough. It's so dirty."
Since he posted the sign, Youssef said neighbors thought it was funny and have been posting pictures of it on social media.
