Council hears plans to repair failing outfalls after storms expose erosion at BondSecure, Grand and Summit Street

Public Works Director George Ladd briefed the Fairhope City Council work session on multiple failing outfall structures and gully erosion exposed by Hurricane Sally and heavy recent rains, describing designs and near-term procurement plans to stabilize affected areas.

Ladd said the outfall where BondSecure crosses a gully near Grand Avenue had progressively failed and that additional "sheet-flow" runoff from uphill properties had increased channeling and scouring. He said Sawgrass Engineering had prepared drawings for a new outfall structure, extended pipe, drop inlets and embankment armoring to contain sheet flow and protect the road. Ladd said the work required more fill, riprap and additional drainage structures than originally anticipated because the outfall condition had worsened since earlier estimates.

"The outfall structure is failing and it is jeopardizing the integrity of the road," Ladd said. He also described the presence of older corrugated metal and concrete pipe sections in place for decades and said the pipe system appears to be past its expected life in several locations.

On Summit Street (the outfall at Stacks Gully behind the K1 center), Ladd reported that a recent intense rainfall caused the outfall to fail, eroding the gully up to the back of the curb and partially undercutting pavement. He said engineers are finalizing design documents and that staff will pursue an expedited public bid process with the minimum advertisement period (one week) to allow award and council consideration as quickly as feasible, with the goal of a contractor starting work by mid-June and a roughly 30-day construction timeline.

Ladd said the Summit Street repair is not being presented as an emergency declaration because the affected section can be closed without cutting private-property access; he said the city had notified ADEM about erosion-control actions. Council members and staff discussed causes, including aging pipe materials and increased development uphill that adds surface runoff, and the need to coordinate with utilities (power poles are close to erosion areas) and to avoid temporary fixes that would require repeated rework.

Ladd asked council if staff should place the BondSecure/Grand design on a future council agenda for bidding; he said the project will require competitive bids and that engineering estimates suggest costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars rather than tens of thousands. Council members who reviewed the site last week accompanied staff in seeking direction to proceed to bid when design and procurement readiness are complete.