Conway/Briabend Storm Drainage Improvements
Public Meeting No. 2
Meeting Minutes
Location:
Date/Time:
Grace United Methodist Church
December 21, 2007 @ 7:00 P.M.
Citizen Head Count: 15
Personnel Present:
Jennifer Barker, City of Charlotte
Will Armstrong, Armstrong Glen, P.C.
Chad Nussman, City of Charlotte
Josh Letourneau, Armstrong Glen, P.C.
Introduction and Presentation by Jennifer Barker, Project Manager:
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Introduction of City of Charlotte personnel and the consultant
Brief Summary of project
- Tonight is the 2nd public meeting with the neighborhood.
- Description of how City of Charlotte Storm Water Services allocates money collected from storm
water fees.
- Description of the project phases.
- Project began a few years ago.
- It is important that anybody with a storm water issue call 311 or get on the City website to voice their
concerns.
Summarized the first public meeting held September 14, 2006.
- Presented results of the storm water modeling data to the citizens of the neighborhood.
- Received feedback from homeowners on how the existing conditions flood plain maps correlated with
what they actually witnessed around their properties.
Summarized the completion of the planning study/Alternates Analysis.
- Additional survey data was collected and storm water models and floodplain maps were revised to
more accurately represent citizen flooding complaints.
- Project will be complicated due to the amount of storm water runoff involved and lack of available
detention.
- The goal for the City is not to increase downstream storm water flows due to upsizing upstream storm
drains.
- The City and their consultant brainstormed different alternates that would reduce or eliminate flooding
within and downstream of project area. The first three alternates included various degrees of bringing
the storm drainage system in the neighborhood to (or close to) city design standard. None of the
alternates met the goals of the City due to the magnitude of runoff in the neighborhood.
- The City then looked at options that were once considered, “less-feasible”. These options included
the creation of detention basins at the Collinswood Elementary School ball field and along Firwood
Lane Channel, to promote needed storage in the storm drainage system.
- Many grading scenarios were looked at along the Firwood channel, but the only way to provide
sufficient detention was to grade out the Firwood channel in the location of the existing Firwood
homes.
- The City plans to buy out the streamside homes along Firwood Lane (4209-4243).
- It is very unusual for Charlotte Storm Water Services to buy out homes.
- The acquisition process could take up to a year to complete.
- The next step is to negotiate fees with Armstrong Glen for the design phase of the project.
Summarized all proposed improvements for the project.
• Questions / Comments During Presentation
Citizen at 4220 Firwood Lane –
I have experienced flooding in my yard. Will the detention facilities be similar to Westfield?
Jennifer Barker Westfield is a Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services project. I am not familiar with that project but
this project will have dry detention. The detention facility along Firwood Lane may be joined with
Collins Park.
Citizen at 4220 Firwood Lane –
The map states a proposed 36” RCP. What does RCP mean?
Jennifer Barker Reinforced Concrete Pipe
Citizen at 4220 Firwood Lane –
What is the timetable to start purchasing houses and begin construction?
Jennifer Barker The Firwood property acquisition process could take up to a year. Construction for the project is
several years away. The timetable to complete construction is 2013. This includes consideration for
potential delays during project phases leading up to and including construction.
Wilsons at 736 Manhasset Road –
Water rushes over our bridge. Water comes down quickly, then slows down and builds up.
Jennifer Barker The City did not receive any requests for services from you. Give us your information and we can have
City Storm Water’s maintenance staff look at the issue. City Storm Water maintenance can remove
channel debris if the stream receives runoff from a public road.
Scott at 4228 Firwood Lane –
Will the City dig up the existing pipe next to our swimming pool?
Jennifer Barker We are proposing to replace the existing strom drainage pipe along your side property line with a
36”RCP. All efforts will be made to protect the foundation of the swimming pool during construction.
Any drain tie-ins will be noted as well.
Scott at 4228 Firwood Lane –
Do you have a rendering of what the detention ponds will look like?
Jennifer Barker No. We only have a conceptual grading plan at this time. We have not begun the design phase of this
project.
Scott at 4228 Firwood Lane –
What is the difference between detention/retention facilities?
Jennifer Barker Detention facilities (or dry ponds) only hold water during rain events and remain dry at all other times.
A retention facility (wet pond) contains base level water at all times and fills up during rain events.
Resident Will there be a fence around the detention facilities?
Jennifer Barker That decision has not been made yet as other parties may be involved in that decision. It is generally
not the practice of City Storm Water Services to construct fences around detention facilities.
Resident along Firwood Lane Once the houses along Firwood are sold, will they just remain? We don’t want to look across the
street and see overgrown yards and abandoned houses.
Jennifer Barker The City will maintain the acquired land as required by neighborhood zoning ordinances at a minimum.
The razing of the homes and clearing of the land will happen during the construction phase of the
project.
Debra Smith along Kenlough Drive Once the ponds are constructed, who will maintain the plants/grasses?
Jennifer Barker We are coordinating with both Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and Mecklenburg County Parks
& Recreation (Park & Rec) regarding the proposed detention facilities at Collinswood Elementary
School and Collins Park respectively. They will provide input regarding planting and grading plans.
CMS will maintain the detention facility on the school property. We are coordinating with Park & Rec
with the idea that they will incorporate the Firwood parcels into Collins Park and will maintain the park
detention facility.
Resident –
Do you plan to buy out any of the apartment buildings around the project area?
Jennifer Barker No. We do not anticipate affecting any other buildings.
• Questions / Comments After? Presentation
Resident at 4228 Firwood Lane –
What will the outlet structures look like?
Josh Letourneau –
The school ball field detention pond will have a riser style outlet structure. The Firwood Lane detention
pond will have a horseshoe weir outlet structure.
Resident at 4224 Firwood Lane –
The water seems to come from the bowling alley behind my house. How will the construction help
this problem?
Josh Letourneau –
There is a large amount of runoff generated just east of South Boulevard that flows down towards
Firwood Lane. The existing pipe system that runs between 4224 and 4228 Firwood Lane is not only
undersized, but also does not have the ability to capture all the overland runoff. The new pipe will have
additional inlets to facilitate the capture of all runoff. The land around the new inlets will be graded to
help direct the runoff.
Public meeting adjourned @ 8:15 p.m.