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Wetland work planned for Preserve subdivision
(by Sue Reid - February 09, 2011)
Wetland work planned for Preserve subdivision
By SUE REID
As part of Solon's efforts in storm-water management since the flood of 2006, wetland reconstruction is to take place in the Preserve subdivision this year.
Solon City Council's public works committee approved legislation last week to authorize the mayor to enter into an agreement for community grants program funding through Sustain Our Great Lakes for the project. The program awards grants for in-the-water, on-the-ground habitat restoration and enhancement in the Great Lakes basin.
The project, which will include the complete wetland reconstruction of eight acres, will add 15 acre feet of storm-water management upstream of the Preserve subdivision. The project's cost is estimated at $416,000.
The grant requires a 50 percent local match of the construction costs, city Engineer John Busch said, so the city's contribution would be $208,000. He said the project is one that should be undertaken, regardless of whether grant money is involved.
"We've had some preliminary discussion with the association for these projects, and we will have to get them on board with everything as we move forward," he said of the homeowners association.
The Preserve, which is off of Pettibone Road, has about 350 homes.
"This project has been a while coming," Councilman Richard A. Bell said. "Since the flood in 2006, this area has been designated as a potential problem for flooding in the future," he said.
"The city has now made this a priority this coming year," Mr. Bell said. "The project will cost approximately $400,000, but we are attempting to obtain grants to pay for half of the cost," he said.
"I've been in contact with the homeowners association president, and this has been a high priority for the association," he said.
"This area really needs it," Councilman William D. Mooney said, noting that it was hit hard during the storms of 2006.
Mr. Busch said the city is looking at three phases of potential work in the subdivision. Phase one, which was to re-evaluate some elevations on existing detention ponds, has been done.
The result of that phase is that the city ended up modifying some of those elevations to add more storage, Mr. Busch said.
Phase three, which the grant funds are being sought for, would come before phase two, Mr. Busch said.
"If we end up doing phase two, we can utilize the storm-water management in our overall improvements of phase two," he said. Phase two would involve doing some modifications to the existing storm sewer all the way up to adding a release sewer to the existing system that is there now, Mr. Busch said.
"It's a very good idea to go with Phase three before Phase two," Mr. Bell said.
The subdivision is considered one of the worst hit from the storm of 2006. Residents experienced flooding issues there, he said.
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