City staff outline Pond Run dredging plan and dry-dam work; easements and material disposal noted as next steps

Staff presented plan sheets and discussed next steps for dredging Pond Run from the mall complex to Grand Central and for dry-dam structures at Fremont and Glenwood, and board members discussed property access and material disposal.

Mike, staff engineer, said the plan sheets are prepared but that the project crosses private mall property. ‘‘Really, we just need to have a talk about plan... making sure, you know, as they take out the dredge material, how we get it through their property, then where we are gonna take it to. And then I work with Russ too and making sure we have all the easements cleared,’’ he said.

Board members asked about access on both sides of the railroad tracks and asked whether crossings would be required; staff replied the work could be staged near the power station and that crossings were not expected to be an issue in that location. A member asked whether historic channel elevations and local buildups would be removed; engineers said the design intends to re-establish the original bottom and uniform side slopes so routine crews can maintain capacity.

The board treated the dredging and dry-dam work as a priority project but did not take formal action at the meeting. Staff identified easement clearance and coordination with mall property owners and disposal-site planning as dependencies before construction can proceed.