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City manager outlines storm task force priorities: maintenance, records, engagement and daylighting Castle Creek
Summary
City staff listed five immediate priorities and one ongoing item from the storm task force: continuing maintenance and televising/lining of pipes, digitizing records and GIS work, municipal and business coordination, ordinance updates on sump pumps and impervious soils, public education, and a long-term study to daylight Castle Creek.
City Manager presented the storm task force’s recommendations and legislative and financial items the council could consider in the 2025 work plan and 2026 budget.
Staff identified five near-term priorities and one long-term ongoing priority:
1) Maintenance of existing storm and sanitary systems — staff will use current resources and the sewer infrastructure capital allocation (noted as $250,000 annually) to televise, slip-line and repair piping, clear debris from creeks and use an emergency-response trailer stocked with submersible pumps and generators for response events. Staff noted the city has nearly 200 miles of lines and estimated an indicative repair cost at about $80 per foot for major work.
2) City records management — staff recommended digitizing records and using existing GIS resources; the report said staff currently lack capacity to run an internship-based program and will consider options in the 2026 budget.
3) Municipal and business engagement — staff said the city is coordinating with Ontario County Soil and Water, Cornell University, the town, Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association and Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization; future actions might include ordinance changes or joint grant applications.
4) Ordinance review — staff proposed two ordinance changes that would be brought forward in 2025: one related to sump pumps and another to impervious surfaces on private property.
5) Education and community engagement — draft flood-mitigation handouts and event outreach materials are being prepared for in-house printing; materials will be reviewed by legal prior to release.
Ongoing priority — daylighting Castle Creek: staff characterized daylighting (restoring an enclosed waterway to an open creek) as a long-term, costly, multi-year initiative that would require legislative direction, significant community engagement and funding strategies if pursued.
Councilors asked about the scope and funding; staff emphasized that the $250,000 annual capital allocation is a modest contribution and that comprehensive maintenance will need more funding over time. The city manager said staff would continue to pursue partnerships, grants and the rate study to inform decisions about who pays for infrastructure improvements, noting some local government partners are experimenting with differing rate structures for large institutional water users.
