Dear Citizens,
Greetings!
Augusta's approximate four-mile levee system is either undergoing recertification on the Walnut side or moving forward with Army Corp of Engineers enhancements on the Whitewater side. The confluence of two rivers in our little city comes with its challenges.
Since the flood of 1998, City staff and officials, state representatives, congressional leaders, and federal agency representatives have collaborated together to address vulnerabilities of our levee system.
From 2000-2005, a cost benefit analysis/study was conducted to determine Augusta's course of action. It was determined that Augusta's 100-year levee system should be elevated to the 500-year status on the Whitewater side. In 2006, the planning and specifications stage began. With this, steps have been made to collect data, identify borrow areas, assess properties, engineer the actual earthen levee and drainage, reposition and design roadways and other infrastructure, reassess pump stations, purchase right-of-way, negotiate agreements with both the Railroad and Williams Pipeline (owner of the old Mobil Refinery), relocate major pipelines, make annual allocation of funds, and prepare all legal and technical documentation to make the project possible. Believe me, this list is not exhaustive - upgrading a levee system is no easy feat. City Manager Bill Keefer spends, on average, about 30% of his workweek on the project.
Recently, the Council met with staff and city engineer Martin Goedecke to discuss the progress of the project and to consider a course of direction for Dike Road just west of our levee. The Council underwent discussion of land acquisition, relocation or abandonment of pipelines, and agreements with the above-mentioned entities.
Some pipelines, such as the 6-inch pipeline owned by El Paso, which runs parallel to the levee system, will be removed and the ground compacted. Other lines will be abandoned and filled with grout. All lines, the relocation or securing, have an August deadline for completion. Augusta has a few lines to address as well: raw water lines from Santa Fe and Augusta Lake, a potable line from Garvin Park, and several sewer lines. The majority of the relocations for City utilities will be completed during the construction of the levee project.
Land acquisition, though tedious, continues to move forward with 32 parcels owned by approximately 15 different individuals. All parcels require appraisals and agreements. These acquisitions should be finalized sometime this summer. All properties impacted by levee enhancement will be secured through fee simple acquisition or ponding easements with exception of the Williams properties (refinery) which Augusta will only have a levee easement.
The latest snag in the project was considering what to do with Augusta Township's Dike Road. The new levee will expand to the middle of the current road, thus a relocation or closure will be necessary. Because Dike Road is an arterial road that carries approximately 285 cars daily and because it provides future access to northern properties that could be developed in years to come - the Council has shown general preference for relocating the road just west of its current location. This relocation, for phase one (gravel only and drainage) will cost approximately $200,000. This option does allow for future expansion and enhancement (paving) of the road. All relocation expenses for utilities and for roads are at the City's cost exclusively, including Dike Road.
In review, this is a $5.4 million project with a 35% match required by the City. Our percentage translates into $1.6 million for the taxpayers of Augusta. Currently, we have approximately $660,000 set aside for the project. Last year we spent approximately $137,000 for titles, surveys, appraisals, and acquisition in addition to money spent for earlier studies. In our current 2010 budget, we have $150,000 allocated for transfer into this fund. The goal is to minimize the amount of debt the City will need to issue to fund the project.
So, where are we? Closer. much closer. At the current pace, we could see the groundbreaking in 2011. For this to happen, we would need to have all of our work finalized by this fall so the project can be let for bids. We will keep working toward Augusta's #1 priority - protecting our community from future flood events and ensuring opportunity for economic growth and development.
Augusta, Kan. —
