Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Council Eyes Storm Water
DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS DISCUSSED FOR GARLAND MCKEE ROAD
FARMINGTON — City Council members agreed to accept payment for street and storm water drainage improvements last week from Hillside Estates in lieu of the developer having to complete the work himself.
The Planning Commission in January approved the final plat for Hillside Estates on Garland McKee Road, under the condition the final plat will not be signed by the city engineer until the developer has made this payment.
Hillside Subdivision, owned by Tom Sims with Lots 101 Inc., is building three houses along Garland McKee Road, next to Meadowsweet Subdivision. The subdivision also includes two larger agricultural lots.
Discussions have been ongoing for months on the best way to improve drainage along the street to alleviate flooding Rosebay Lane during major storm water events.
Rosebay Lane, located in Meadowsweet Subdivision, is at the bottom of a mountain. As water comes off the mountain during major rain events, drainage culverts under Garland McKee Road are not able to handle the deluge and water flows over the road going down Rosebay and flooding houses on the street.
The city has contracted with
Olsson Associates/McGoodwin, Williams & Yates to design a plan to improve drainage on the road. Chris Brackett, who serves as the city’s engineer for the firm, said culverts under the road are undersized and the plan is put in much larger culverts and to change the direction of how the water drains.
Sims told Council members last week that he has several construction bids on what his improvements would cost, however these bids fall quite a bit under what Brackett says Sims should pay. Brackett last week said his estimates are also in line with estimates from Sims’ engineer.
In a letter to the city of Farmington, Brackett recommends the city accept $136,344 in lieu of the improvements. Improvements would have included widening the road, curb and gutter and a small detention pond.
Brackett was emphatic about the payment required in lieu of work, writing, “We take no exceptions to this cost estimate.”
Mayor Ernie Penn said the city’s intent is to make the needed improvements, later adding, “That has been an ongoing issue out there and we’re going to do our best to make it better.”
Except for the money from Sims, the rest of the balance to pay for the project will come from city funds, probably a new bond issue designated for street improvements. Penn warned Council members the project will not be cheap.
Residents who live in the area have spoken against Hillside Estates every time it has come up in city meetings and last week was no exception.
Bryan Synder, who lives on Foxglove Lane in Meadowsweet, wondered about allowing more houses to be built on Garland McKee Road before the drainage issue is resolved.
Brackett explained that 500 acres drain to Garland McKee Road and the three new houses in Hillside Estates “mean very little to the basin.”
The problem, Brackett said, is the undersized culverts.
Work to improve drainage most likely would be done in the summer during dryer months.
Synder encouraged the city to get the work done as soon as possible.
“Time is of the essence. We have a bunch of houses that will flood this spring if it rains.”
Brackett said the city will have a public meeting probably in late February to present the engineering design and allow residents to ask questions and make comments. The date has not been set for this meeting.