|
Watershed project part of full agenda at Bryant |
|
|
Tuesday, 25 November 2008 |
The city’s ongoing watershed project is among numerous items on the agenda for tonight’s Bryant City Council meeting.The city’s ongoing watershed project is among numerous items on the agenda for tonight’s Bryant City Council meeting.
Other items include Operation Flood Relief, annexation and a proposed water supply contact.
The meeting starts at 7 at Boswell Municipal Complex.
City Public Works Director Richard Penn will provide updates on the watershed project and Operation Flood Relief. After years of residents battling the city over flooding issues in several neighborhoods, the council hired FTN and Associates in January 2007. The environmental consulting firm was hired to conduct a watershed study in the neighborhoods.
A final report from FTN was given to the council in early 2008, but storms in early April caused flash flooding and damage to homes, prompting city officials to initiate emergency action. The council proceeded with the implementation of certain projects in FTN’s plans and Fire Chief Randy Cox was named an incident commander to oversee Operation Flood Relief.
On Sept. 2, heavy rains from Hurricane Gustav threatened to flood numerous Bryant neighborhoods again, but Cox said the efforts generated by Operation Flood Relief saved homes. He told the council on Sept. 11 that 64 homes were damaged by floodwater since April, but Operation Flood Relief helped rectify problems for all but three homes on Rodeo Drive. It was learned that the homes were built too close to Shoal Creek, which was a major cause of the flooding.
The council, Penn and FTN decided to “bench” Shoal Creek — meaning that one side of the bank will be lowered — behind three houses on Rodeo Drive while looking at other measures. The bench will give temporary relief but the other solutions are deemed long-term, city officials said. The council approved $50,000 from the reserve fund for the projects.
City Finance Director Gary Hollis will update the council on disaster mitigation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency concerning flooding issues. Hollis is also expected to present the city’s proposed 2009 budget.
The Planning Commission is expected to ask for an approval of an annexation agreement for property owned by Alcoa Inc. Cox will ask for an approval for a truck purchase, compensation for safety officers and approval for several training programs for firefighters.
The Water Committee is expected to ask for approval of a water supply contract between the city and Central Arkansas Water. The council has previously looked at the Saline Watershed Alliance and CAW to provide the city with water through 2016. Stewart Noland, vice president of Crist Engineering Inc. of Little Rock, said CAW has the capacity and desire to serve Bryant on a long-term basis, and the city has storage capacity of around 116 gallons per day with Lake Winona and Lake Maumelle.
Boswell Municipal Complex is at 210 SW Third St.
|
Razorbacks
