Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Subdivision flooding to get city’s attention
Council to consider contract for drainage improvement
FAYETTEVILLE — Some homeowners in a suburb on the southeast side of town soon won’t need a raft to get around their backyards during heavy rain.
The City Council on Tuesday will take up a nearly $119,000 contract with 81 Construction Group in Siloam Springs for drainage improvement within the Stonebridge Meadows subdivision and golf course. The item will be on the council’s consent agenda, meaning it will likely pass without discussion.
An initial estimate projected the work would cost $145,465. The construction company was the lowest bidder for the work by far, City Engineer Chris Brown said. The next closest bid came in about $170,000 and the others were at least $200,000, he said.
Residents in the subdivision have long complained of flooding problems. The grumbling hit a fever pitch in September when a rezoning request came through for land south of Goff Farm Road near River Meadows Drive.
The council ultimately voted down the rezoning 6-1, which would have allowed six homes on just more than an acre. The decision came after residents lined City Hall to say more development would only exacerbate an already soggy situation.
It wasn’t the first time flooding and drainage issues in the area had been raised. In 2015, the council voted 6-2 to deny a rezoning to allow development of the Falling Waters subdivision south of Stonebridge Meadows. Drainage and traffic concerns drove the decision.
Severe flooding in April 2017 opened the city’s eyes to problem areas that need addressing. Brown gave the council a presentation toward the end of the year identifying key areas warranting prioritization and various projects already lined up.
Among those projects are a 600-foot-long, 36-inch-diameter pipe and manholes behind several homes along Spyglass Hill Drive and a basin draining runoff across
the golf course to the northeast into yards, according to a city memo. The new pipes will catch the water and move it to a nearby retention pond.
The subdivision has several pockets of flooding that add up to a larger picture, Brown said.
“There are some areas where the water is flooding the street. We’ve got some houses in areas that aren’t graded very well. It’s kind of flat in some areas, so we have standing-water issues,” he said. “But those are all sort of disconnected.”
The Stonebridge Meadows golf course opened in 1997 and several phases of the subdivision followed. The area where the work will be done is part of Phase V, the plans for which were approved in 2005. The Planning Commission waived certain requirements for the development the following year at the request of the applicant, including an assessment for sidewalk, curb and gutter and stormwater needs, according to city documents.
Stonebridge Meadows was established by Bill Meadows, who died in 2016. The Meadows family operates Meadows Enterprises.
Severe flooding exposed engineering issues that before had been inconsequential, said Lance Cox, an attorney who represents Meadows Enterprises.
Gerry Daly, who lives downhill from where the work will be done, said any improvement will help. Daly sees the flooding in his backyard during downpours. The water also tends to hang around in the ground for days after a good rain, he said.
“I’m thrilled that they’re doing this,” Daly said. “But I have no doubt that I’m still going to have a muddy backyard for a lot of times. I’ve got to work on other solutions — I’m not looking to the city to fix that. I’m just looking for the city to help us prevent it from getting worse.”
Another part of the subdivision will also get the city’s attention. Drainage improvement is planned for Cherry Hills and River Meadows drives, toward the southern end of the site. Work is still in the design stage, Brown said.