Council approves $57,320 change order to add backyard drainage to Southeast infrastructure project

The City Council approved Change Order No. 4 for the Southeast Infrastructure Improvement Project in the amount of $57,320.58 to add storm sewer improvements, including backyard drain piping and area inlets, staff said. City staff told council the initial scope had focused on in-road storm sewer work; subsequent field inspections and resident requests showed continued standing water problems in backyard areas that the original plan did not address.

A staff member said years earlier the city created an outlet off Quail that contributes to water backing up in certain backyards; the approved change order extends piping eastward to relieve that localized drainage problem. The additional work is intended to reduce standing water after moderate to heavy rain events and to prevent recurring homeowner flooding. The city engineer and project consultant were present at the meeting and stood by for questions.

Council voted to approve the change order. Staff said residents along the affected stretch (Perry Lane and adjacent blocks) had raised the issue and that staff and elected officials had observed the problem during extreme rainfall events. No separate funding request was made at the meeting beyond the change-order authorization; the motion passed unanimously as recorded.