Two residents raised neighborhood drainage and road conditions during the City Council's open forum, asking the council and staff to inspect and repair eroding road edges and plugged culverts.
Wendell Brainerd of 9901 Willie Delaney told the council the road in front of his house has been eroding for years and is washing into the roadside ditch, creating ruts and allowing drivers to use the ditch as a shallow turning lane. “Every time it rains, it washes out into the ditch,” Brainerd said, adding that city crews do periodic sweeping but the damage returns after storms.
The city indicated staff will follow up. The council said Public Works staff will connect with Brainerd to inspect the location and discuss possible repairs; Kevin Mattson, a city staff member who was out of the room at the time, was identified as the staff contact to follow up.
Separately, Linda Schmidt, who said she lives at 6501 Kellen Street near the Horseshoe Trail and the Trail Dusters Horse Arena, reported culverts in her neighborhood are plugged after heavy rainfall and asked when they would be cleared. “Our culverts are plugged up,” Schmidt said, citing a specific culvert on Elm Street and expressing uncertainty about the one on Horseshoe Trail.
Council and staff acknowledged the reports and said the Public Works director and crews will follow up. Staff characterized this stage as an awareness and inspection step, not a code-enforcement action; staff advised that culvert clearing and road repair will be scheduled based on the inspection outcome and existing maintenance priorities.
Why it matters: blocked culverts and eroding edges can worsen flooding, damage private property and accelerate roadway deterioration if not addressed. Residents expressed concern that repeated washing and winter plow activity had contributed to the erosion and that ad hoc mowing or homeowner fixes are not sufficient.
Discussion vs. decision: these open-forum remarks generated an administrative follow-up (staff will contact the residents and inspect the sites) but did not result in a formal council motion or city funding pledge during the meeting.
Next steps: staff said they will connect the residents with Public Works for site visits and repair options; no timeline was announced at the meeting.