Wilora Lake Rehabilitation Project
Minutes from Public Meeting
Hickory Grove Library
May 27, 2008; 6:30 PM
Attendees
Greg Cole, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS)
David Smith, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS)
Corky Botkin, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS)
Stephen Wilkerson, Property Owner, 6316 Vernedale Road
Danny Huntley, Property Owner, 6332 Vernedale Road
Gwen Hoover, Property Owner, 6423 Vernedale Road
Project staff was introduced.
Greg Cole, Project Manager for CMSWS, discussed the following:
Meeting Purpose: The purpose of the meeting is to present the final design and solicit
public feedback.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services Program Overview: Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Storm Water Service has three teams: Engineering, Maintenance, and Water Quality.
o The Engineering Team primarily handles flood control projects and manages the Water
Quality Team’s projects.
o The Water Quality Team addresses water quality and environmental issues.
o The Maintenance Team handles small projects.
o This project is part of the Pond Program which helps maintain ponds in the city.
o The City gets the improved water quality benefits of the functional pond and the
citizens get help maintaining the pond.
Project Phases: The planning phase is complete. We are currently in the design,
permitting, and easement acquisition phase. The remaining phases are contractor bidding,
construction, contractor warranty, and monitoring.
o This project started with the Planning Phase in 2003. Robert Morrison donated an
easement around the pond in 2005
o The Design Phase began in July 2007 and is nearly complete.
o Permitting Phase has begun. The City has already submitted for applicable water
quality permits. This process is expected to take about six months.
o Real Estate will begin soon. Greg Cole and a real estate agent for the City will be
contacting owners to discuss easements needed for project construction.
o Once the City has the necessary easements and permits, the project will go to bid.
Project History: Greg Cole discussed the pond’s history with the citizens in attendance at
the meeting. The Citizens, some of whom grew up by the pond, knew the history well.
Citizens expressed concern over past vandalism and the wellbeing of wildlife in the area
during construction.
Final Design: Design details are still being finalized, but the final pond layout is complete.
The pieces of the project were explained with the assistance of visual aids and are
summarized below:
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Main Components of the New Pond
Forebays: There will be two forebays built to remove sediment from the water flowing
into the pond. This will help reduce the frequency and difficulty of maintenance
required on the pond.
Wetlands: Most of the high quality existing natural wetlands will be saved.
Pond: Most of the new pond will be four feet deep. There will be a deeper area by the
pond drain and shallow littoral shelf.
Littoral Shelf: A shelf 10-feet wide will ring the pond just below the water’s surface
and be planted with wetland plants. The self will start at the water’s edge and extend
10-feet out into the pond. This shelf provides wildlife habitat, water quality and safety
benefits.
Dam: The old dam will be removed and replaced with a completely new dam and
spillway. The new dam and spillway will be similar to the existing dam. That is the
new design calls for an earthen dam with a concrete wall which will be the spillway.
Pond Drain Valve: The pond will have a drain. The drain is necessary should any
maintenance need to be performed on the pond. The valve for the drain will be located
in a pipe with a locking cap and require a special tool to open and close, hopefully
preventing vandals from being able to drain the pond.
Maintenance Road Gate: A gate will be installed across the new maintenance road to
prevent unauthorized vehicles from accessing the site.
Construction Sequence
o The citizens would be given advance notice prior to the start of construction.
o The first thing the contractor will do is replace a couple legs of the existing vitrified
clay sanitary sewer pipes with ductile iron pipe. The clay pipes are being replaced
since they would not survive the construction phase undamaged.
o Next, the contractor will remove some trees necessary to build a gravel road along the
edge of the pond and wetlands.
o Some trees will have to be removed, but the City will work with the contractor to
minimize impacts to trees.
o The contractor will build a small dam called a cofferdam upstream of the existing pond
and wetlands to control stormwater during construction. Water will pond upstream of
the cofferdam when it rains and then be pumped around the construction area.
o The contractor will then drain the pond and remove sediment from the pond.
o The contractor will then remove the existing dam and construct the new dam.
o Once the new dam and spillway are constructed, the coffer dam will be removed and
the pond allowed to fill. At this point, all disturbed areas will be revegetated and
construction equipment removed from the site.
o Once the pond has filled-up, the littoral shelf will be planted.
o No trees or bushes will be planted on the new dam as tree roots can damage the dam.
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Greg Cole concluded the presentation and opened the meeting to general project questions:
Citizen commented on past foot traffic across the dam and criminal activity in the area.
There has been significantly less of both since Eastland Mall mostly closed.
o Greg Cole responded that while there will be a fence installed at the top of the dam to
keep people from falling off the spillway, it will not stop people from walking across
the dam.
A citizen commented that at the start of this project years ago, they were told that
maintenance of the pond would be their responsibility. He asked if that was still true.
o Greg Cole responded that the citizens are responsible for maintaining their own
property, include areas on their property with easements. He would need to check the
easement on the pond to see who is responsible for maintenance of the pond. The
easement states that Wilora Lake LLC will provide routine maintenance such as
mowing.
Citizen asked if cypress trees will be planted.
o Greg Cole responded that the City will work with the contractor to minimize the trees
removed during construction. The plans call for a variety of plant and bushes to be
planted, but no trees.
Citizen asked if there are any plans to displace wildlife in the area.
o Greg Cole responded that there are no plans to relocate any of the wildlife little that can
be done for the aquatic animals. Most animals will be able to remain in the woods or
make their way downstream.
Citizen commented that this project has been in the works for a very long time and asked if
there was anything that stop or delay the project at this time.
o David Smith and Greg Cole responded that there is little that could stop the project at
this point. Based on current schedule projections the project could start late next
summer.
Citizens voiced their support for the project and said they are willing to help with
acquisition of easements.
o Greg Cole thanked them and explained two of the easements that would be needed to
start the project, adding that he and a City real estate agent would be contacting them
regarding easements.
Citizen asked what percentage of the City’s projects are completed on schedule.
o David Smith answered that 75% to 90% of all City Projects are completed on schedule.
Citizen noted that the original plans during early stage of the project called for controlling
mosquitoes with frogs. He asked if this was still a part of the plan.
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o Greg Cole responded that there are no plans to use frogs to control mosquitoes. There
is a small fish called a “mosquito fish” which will be in the pond. As the name suggest,
these fish eat mosquitoes.
Citizen asked if the surrounding land could be developed.
o Greg Cole and David Smith responded that the conservation easement that includes the
pond may not be developed ,but did not have any information on the land adjacent to
the pond.
Citizen commented that he would like to try and save some of the animals (turtles) before
construction.
o Greg Cole informed him that the citizens would be given advance notice of when
construction would start.
Citizen asked if the American Elm tree located in the vicinity of the entrance to the site
would be removed. He then said he understands if it must be removed, but would like to
see it saved.
o Greg Cole said he was unaware of an elm tree in that area. He would follow-up on this
information. If there is an elm tree, the City may not be able to avoid impacting or
removing the tree, but will work with the contractor to avoid the tree and minimize
impacts to the tree.
Citizens voiced concern about unauthorized persons driving around the gate and asked if
we had plans to stop them.
o Greg Cole said the plans did not currently call for more than a gate, but that he would
look into adding bollards to prevent vehicles from driving around the gate.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:30pm.
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