HomeMy WebLinkAboutA002 - Staff Report dated May 12, 2015 13
Staff Report
ARBOR ON THE GREEN POND
May 12, 2015
BACKGROUND:
At the January 13, 2015 City Council meeting, City Council referred to staff a letter
from Patrick Brooks, Arbor on the Green Home Owner's Association (HOA) President.
The letter requests that the City take over management of the pond via easement
instead of the pond being managed by the HOA. The original letter is Attachment A.
The area received a Neighborhood Improvement Grant from the City in 1997 to improve
the pond to make the area "a quiet area of green space with a healthy environment for
fish, ducks, animals and birds. It will once again be a visually attractive space in the
neighborhood and an extended visual green space for Moore Memorial Park. All
residents, adults, and children, including nearby university students and their families,
will have an opportunity to stop, swing, look and dream." This declaration from the
grant application, coupled with the utilization of city funds, made this a "public" space.
Currently, the City maintains control of the storm water system upstream and
downstream of this existing pond and has made significant investments in recent years
in those areas. The pond at Moore Memorial Park (upstream) was recently improved
with a new outlet structure and additional storage, including a forebay to reduce the
amount of solids and nutrients that pass through the pond. This was accomplished with
the 2012/13 Flood Response and Mitigation Project and the 2009/10 Storm Water
Facility Rehabilitation Project at a total cost of $769,059. Currently, the creek bank
along the rear of the properties on Pinehurst Drive (downstream) is under construction
to stop erosion in the area through the 2012/13 Storm Sewer Outlet Erosion Control
Project with estimated costs of $91,000. The overall area showing the pond and the
respective adjacent projects is also shown in Attachment B.
STAFF COMMENTS:
Under current requirements, a subdivision would have to meet all the requirements
outlined in the new Post Construction Stormwater Management Ordinance that includes,
but is not limited to; drainage calculations for the area, watershed mapping, natural
resource survey, soil management plan, maintenance, repair and landscaping plan and
dedication of easements. Additionally, property owners of residential, commercial,
and industrial properties are responsible for short and long-term maintenance of
all water quality practices. The City of Ames accepts long-term responsibility (e.g.
dredging, outlet structure replacement) for large water quantity (flood) control
practices (e.g. detention basins) as part of residential developments. A recorded
easement is required to be provided to the City of Ames to cover the entirety of and
1
access to the large water quantity control practices. The property owners have short-
term maintenance responsibility (e.g. mowing, weed control, removal of volunteer
trees) of the water quantity (flood) control practices as part of residential
developments.
The existing pond was not developed as a required storm water management feature
with the subdivision. The 1993 site plan for development of townhouses to the north
shows the pond as existing and the final plat places the pond in "Outlot A". These are
shown in Attachment C.
There are no existing storm sewer connections directly into the pond other than the pass
through flow from Moore Memorial Park, which is considered "public" water.
OPTIONS
Taking into consideration the above information, the City Council could consider the
following options:
Option 1
Direct staff to work with Legal to draft an easement giving the City the long-term
maintenance responsibilities of the existing pond. By doing so the City would be
responsible for the dredging, or deepening of the pond should it become
necessary while the HOA would retain the responsibilities of short-term care such
as, but not limited to, mowing and general maintenance of the area and it's
amenities.
Option 2
Do nothing and leave the existing pond under the direction of the HOA.
It should be noted, that regardless of the above options, the current condition of the
pond in regards to the extent of siltation is not known. Should Option 1 be chosen, the
City would be responsible for sediment removal and the project would need to be
prioritized within the Capital Improvements Plan.
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Arbor on the Green M1
Pond and Adjacent Projects 1 Scale: 1 in = 125 ft
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