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Culvert discussions fail to reach accord
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - November 17, 2011)
Culvert discussions fail to reach accord
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Residents of the Burlington Green subdivision in the city of Chardon are back where they started after discussions with city officials failed to produce an acceptable solution for replacing a culvert.
Barbara Inderlied, president of the Burlington Green Homeowners Association, said last week the solution offered by city would be cost-prohibitive for the 26 homeowners in the development.
"I'm not getting the help I need," Mrs. Inderlied said. "Instead, I'm afraid I'm creating a financial hardship that will be far worse for our residents if we go ahead with you rather than if we just try and fix it ourselves."
Representatives of the homeowners association had met with Chardon City Council in mid-October to discuss possible remedies for replacing a metal culvert in the private development. The metal culvert, which was installed in the early 1990s, did not comply with the city code.
The homeowners group had asked for city help.
Last week, the city offered a solution, estimated at $170,000, to replace the metal culvert with a concrete one. Residents, according to that plan, would then pay the city back over a 10-year period.
Mrs. Inderlied said she would take the offer back to the homeowners board for consideration. But she added that a replacement of the culvert with another metal one may make the issue more palatable for residents at a cost of $25,000 to $30,000.
Mrs. Inderlied said part of the problem has been that the city has allowed upstream development that has increased the volume of water and aggravated the problem with a sinkhole that threatens to undercut a home at 108 Wynewood Place.
She said she blames the city for not following through on ensuring that the developer installed the proper culvert.
"We didn't ask to have the creek moved before our development was made," she said. "We didn't ask to have a culvert put in. All these things just happened. The problem is you didn't ask for these things either, and nobody seems to know they happened, and they happened, and now we have a problem."
City Engineer Douglas Courtney said Mrs. Inderlied is right. Although storm-water regulations control the rate of flow from development to pre-development levels, the more impervious surfaces created the greater volumes that flow into the city's storm-water system. He said those flows continue for longer periods as more development takes place.
Chardon Law Director James Gillette said the city is prevented legally from providing public dollars for private developments like Burlington Green. He said the city could see similar claims from other private developments, such as Bridgewater. He said only an assessment process could be used for the work.
City Manager Randal Sharpe said that, in the city's proposal, residents would be paying about $760 per home per year under the proposed 10-year assessment.
City Planning and Zoning Administrator Steve Yaney said he had discussions with representatives of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, who said a stream restoration could provide an answer. Restorations can be done with funding from the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, which offer 80-20 grants for the work.
However, Mr. Yaney said, the required width available may present an obstacle. He said a 90-foot-wide swath is needed for most restorations, while only 50 feet may be available for this project. He said the project is likely to lose out in competition with other projects that can provide a wider work area.
Mrs. Inderlied said she's not sure residents would want the stream restoration work, despite its lower cost of about $50,000.
City Council President Philip King said he was torn over the decision. He said the development is so small it does not have the financial resources to handle the problem. "I also feel a sense of responsibility because we could have done some enforcement in 1996," he said.
"I'm troubled by the choices," he said. "There aren't any real good choices here."
He said the city tried its best to help.
"It looks like we tried, but it doesn't look like we can pull this off," Mr. King said. "Council is not willing to chip in money other than a loan."
He said Mrs. Inderlied is welcome to come back if homeowners change their mind on stream restoration. "If stream restoration works, you might want to knock on our door," Mr. King said.
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