Price tag for Arland flood work near $1M

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ROCK FALLS - Much needed drainage and road repairs in the neighborhood around Arland Street look to be an expensive proposition for the city. Preliminary estimates put the price tag at $961,000. City Engineer Brian Frickenstein presented a preliminary cost estimate Thursday to the city's Public Works Committee. The estimate comes from a study done by Willett, Hofmann and Associates of drainage problems on Arland Street and Charles Street, between Emmons Avenue and Martin Road. The neighborhood has as many as 60 houses. A plan to install in ditches, inlets and culverts to run water to existing storm sewer lines and a proposed storm sewer line on Emmons would cost about $735,000. That plan, however, would only handle a 2-year flood. A 2-year flood represents a one-in-two, or 50 percent, chance that a given location in a particular watershed will flood in any given year, according to Meteorologist Stu Ostro of weatherchannel.com. That does not mean that a flood will necessarily occur exactly once every 2 years, or on any other regular timetable. For an area adjacent area of higher elevation to flood, it may take a 3-year or 5-year flood. The city has yet to decide whether to build a drainage system in the neighborhood for a 2-, 5- or 10-year flood before it could have final designs and cost estimates. Five or 10-year floods would require putting in curb and gutter on the roads, and would be more expensive, although Frickenstein did not have a cost estimate.The area previously had ditches, but they were filled to allow for more parking. "I understand costs, but if we're just going to dig ditches again ... my concern 3 years, 5 years, we're going run into the same situation again," said Mayor David Blanton. "I just don't want to do something to come back in 3 years or 5 years and do it again. It doesn't make any sense." Arland Street is in need of a complete rebuild with curb and gutter, and that could cost up to $226,000. Arland was built 62 years ago, when it was county land and not subject to the city's curb and gutter requirements. The City Council has Arland on its resurfacing schedule, but the work is not scheduled until 2013, at a cost of $95,000. The schedule, however, is adjustable. With a limited street repair budget of $1.4 million over the next 5 years, the city has a tough decision on how it wants to approach the repairs around Arland Street. "Again you're going to have to do phases," if not, the city might not be able to do other road projects for a few years, Blanton said.