Posted on August 3, 2017
By Pat Kinney, The Courier
Thousands of volunteers turned out twice in the past 10 years to save downtown Cedar Falls from record and near-record flooding. Those same citizens, and others, will hear about a project they’ve long been awaiting at a meeting 5 p.m. Thursday at the Cedar Falls Community Center, 528 Main St.
The city will hold a public information meeting on planned improvements to the downtown Cedar Falls flood control levee. The city proposes to raise the levee by 3 feet, by either adding to the earthen levee in some areas or replacing flood walls in others.
It’s an important project for Cedar Falls, said acting city engineer Matt Hosford.
“There’s a lot of pride from the community in the downtown that’s protected by this levee,” he said. “That was pretty evident this last fall when all these people showed up on short notice to sandbag. We’re trying to raise the level of protection in the event of an emergency.”
Cedar Falls Community Development Director Stephanie Houk Sheetz noted Thursday’s meeting has been set up because it’s been three years since the plans were formulated and funding secured, in 2014. Federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave approval for the project just last month after a lengthy review process. It seemed appropriate to refresh citizens on the project, she said.
“Really nothing substantial has changed,” Hosford said. “It’s been that long in the permitting process. This is more just to bring everybody up to speed on what’s actually going to be happening, now that these improvements have been approved by the Corps and we’re ready to start construction.”
City officials are anticipating bids will be let in September for a construction contract on the improvements. Work could start yet this year and take place over the next two years.
“There’s five different segments across the levee that are going to be improved in different ways,” Hosford said. “Some of it will be a structural wall. Some of it will be additional earthen protection.”
Actual time staging of construction will be determined later, once a contract is let; a follow-up public meeting is anticipated in October. He said work will be coordinated with concurrent private-sector development, including developer Mark Kittrell’s ongoing River Place multi-building residential/commercial project along State and East Second streets.
The near-record September flood prompted local officials and congressional representatives to redouble efforts with Corps representatives to complete review and approval of the project.
Also Hosford noted there are “contingency plans” to shore up the levee in the event river water rises while improvements are underway. “If they take a wall down to build a new all, there’s a back (plan) there, like Hesco (sand bulwark) barriers to install in short order order to protect downtown during construction should we have some kind of high-water event. That’s part of the Corps’ review, to make sure those are addressed in construction plans.”
A City Council public hearing on project plans will be next month, followed by the contract letting.
A state flood mitigation panel approved $6.6 million in funding for Cedar Falls in March 2014. A state Sales Tax Increment Fund receives deposits of increased sales tax revenues from flood-impacted areas for improvements there.
More information may be obtained by notifying the Cedar Falls Engineering Division at 268-5161.
Source: The Courier
