The City Commission approved an agreement to receive roughly $550,000 in grant funding obtained by the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay to remove and replace an undersized and misaligned culvert on Kids Creek at the Eleventh Street crossing. The city’s share is $150,000 in cash plus $50,000 in‑kind staff time for design and project oversight.
City engineer Anne Pagano and Sarah Yuren, program director for the Watershed Center, reviewed the multi‑year Kids Creek restoration work, noted prior grant awards and projects along tributaries and on Munson‑owned land, and described the Eleventh Street culvert as undersized and misaligned. Pagano said the existing culvert is 9 feet by 4.5 feet; the planned replacement is a 16‑foot by 4.5‑foot opening with a shorter length and a straighter alignment to restore stream bed and sediment transport. The project includes bioswales and wetland plantings to treat stormwater before it enters the creek.
Commissioners discussed project scope, construction staging and long‑term maintenance of green infrastructure. The motion authorizes the mayor and city clerk to execute necessary documents and a capital funds budget amendment to reflect the grant and city match; staff will return to the commission to award the construction contract after bidding. The motion passed by roll call; the city will provide the cash match from the capital projects fund.
Background: The Watershed Center and city partners have pursued Kids Creek restoration since 2013, securing state and federal grants, and installing daylighting, infiltration trenches, stream‑crossing replacements and riparian plantings in several segments. Watershed Center staff noted recent findings that Kids Creek is impaired for aquatic life and will be listed for chloride contamination in upcoming state reports, and that culvert replacements are part of addressing stream connectivity and habitat.