Council awards habitat‑improvement contract for Firefighters Park drain; city amends budget to match EPA grant supplement

Troy City Council on June 9 approved a low‑bid award and a budget amendment to proceed with habitat work and stormwater improvements at Firefighters Park, where the Sprague Drain runs through the park.

Public Works Director Kurt Bovency told council the project will reconfigure a detention area into a native wetland, restore stream banks, and remove invasive plant species. Staff emphasized that much of the woody debris previously left on site will be repurposed as in‑channel stabilization and habitat features. The work is designed both to improve ecological habitat and to increase stormwater storage capacity downstream of neighborhoods that have experienced flooding.

Funding: staff presented existing grant funds of about $640,000 that remained from earlier awards, and an approximately $750,000 supplemental Environmental Protection Agency grant the city won after mayoral and staff advocacy. To meet the low bid and complete the scope, staff requested a city capital contribution; the memo and resolution indicate a Troy contribution of roughly $250,000 to close the funding gap and allow the contract to proceed.

Why it matters: the work aims to improve aquatic habitat and address downstream drainage and flooding by increasing on‑site storage and stabilizing channels. Councilors noted the dual environmental and flood‑mitigation benefits.

Formal action: council approved the contractor award and authorized the budget amendment to combine the remaining grant funds, the EPA supplemental award and the city contribution so the project can proceed.