An engineering firm this morning will unveil a plan to alleviate a water-drainage problem where Wheatland built five new homes.

But, that plan could inflame the already enraged tempers of at least one resident.

Frank Gargiulo, housing planner for developer Community Homebuyers Inc., a nonprofit affiliate of Mercer County Housing Authority, said the basic plan Hickory Engineering Inc. of Hermitage has come up with is to install four or five catch basins at the rear of the homes.

The basins, which collect storm water, would be connected by pipes to the existing storm sewers.

The front yards would be graded to stop soil erosion, he said.

The residents would have to sign right-of-way agreements to allow the catch basins to be cleaned and maintained, Gargiulo said.

Mark Raymond of 45 Woodland has said previously he's against a plan such as what has been proposed.

"They're not going across my property," he said.

Raymond said allowing the proposed drainage work would cut down on the usable space in his back yard, and prohibit the building of a deck or a shed.

"We want yards we can build on whatever we want to build on," he said.

Ron Fraley of 25 Woodland said he would allow work on his property as long as they can convince him it would solve the problem.

Gargiulo is aware of Raymond's previously stated opposition but said the problem cannot be resolved without the work.

"If this was done in the beginning, this digging would have taken place and the right-of-way agreements would have taken place," he said.

Gargiulo has said there was no plan for draining water from the site when the houses were built in 2000.

The work would not hamper use of the backyards, he said. "They will have full usage of the land."

Residents complained of standing water on their properties and said they believe it has caused a mold problem in their homes.

"I don't know what is causing the mold problem at this point," Gargiulo said. "It is reasonable to assume the drainage problem is at least contributing to it."

CHI, which would pay the construction cost, also is paying for mold inspections of the homes, which begin Monday.