The Sweet Home City Council agreed last week to spend $30,000 to solve water drainage problems around the intersection of 45th Avenue and Long Street where residents had complained of flooding problems.
The project will help alleviate problems with storm water backing up primarily at the corner of 45th Avenue and Long Street where residents have complained of flooding and erosion problems.
The funding for the project will be taken from repaid funds on the 28th Avenue Local Improvement District, approximately $108,000. City staff also identified another $12,000 in unspent parks funds that could be used in the area.
The City Council directed Public Works Director Mike Adams to identify revenue within the budget that could be moved to address the problems in this area.
To address the problems, Public Works may enlarge culverts and channels according to the specifications in the city’s water drainage master plan as well as enlarging driveway approach culverts. The 45th and Long area is part of the third priority of 14 or 15 in the master plan.
Adams estimated the cost for all priority three projects, including the east end of Long Street between 47th and 43rd avenues to Airport Road at $280,000 to $315,000.
He estimated that the drainage solution at 45th and Long would cost about $38,000.
“The plan calls for two other priorities to happen,” Adams said, and anything done upstream of those could affect properties downstream.
Councilman Dick Hill asked whether the council should look at the first priority instead, suggesting that to provide adequate drainage, the city should start at the river and work back up the drainage system.
“To me, this is idiotic the way we’re going,” Hill said.
Councilman Jim Gourley said the master plan does work back from the river.
The city should do something to keep the flooding down though, Councilman Bob McIntire said, and Councilman Robert G. Danielson said that nothing would happen downstream as a result of the work. ]
Craig Fentiman said the council should go out there and alleviate as much of the problem as possible and, in January, figure out ways to begin meeting the requirements of the master plan and develop a funding mechanism.
Present at the meeting were McIntire, Fentiman, Gourley, Mayor Tim McQueary, Hill, Jim Bean and Danielson. They voted unanimously to spend the money to solve the drainage problems at 45th and Long during their regular meeting on Nov. 28.