Board debates Greenway extension costs, Corps approval and a $410,000 engineering hurdle

Board members and staff discussed the proposed Greenway extension and whether to fund additional design work now, given uncertainty about Corps of Engineers approval and project cost escalation.

David, a Board member speaking for Parks, said the Greenway extension has been delayed for lack of funding and a nearby project timeline has pushed back the Greenway by a year. He described meetings with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as "positive" historically but said the Corps has not been in recent contact.

Staff explained the immediate financing question was a roughly $410,000 cost to develop engineering plans acceptable to the Corps so the city could pursue an easement from federal real estate. One staff member said an earlier construction estimate of $1.9 million was at least two years old and "could be 2.5 right now," adding that if the city paid for final design and did not have construction funding it could be left with outdated plans and change orders later. The staff member said, "If we're willing to come up with the $2,000,000 or whether it be $3,000,000 to actually do the project, then yes, I would recommend going ahead with it. But what are we gonna cut from all these other items?"

Board members raised the project’s constraints: the Greenway would run through a flood zone, might require one or more small bridges and is subject to changing Corps personnel and priorities. One board member urged a pragmatic approach: "Take a D3 down through there. Let Michael and them lay some blacktop, put out a bench, and be done," reflecting frustration with regulatory delays.

No formal commitment to fund the design work was recorded in the transcript. Staff said they hoped to meet with the Corps and other stakeholders soon and asked to return with a more concrete plan and cost update at a future meeting.