Norton council approves $40,100 engineering study for Hillcrest drainage after heavy rains

The Norton City Council on Monday adopted an emergency ordinance authorizing an agreement with GPD Group for engineering services tied to the Hillcrest Drive neighborhood drainage study in an amount not to exceed $40,100.

Councilmember Harbert, who presented the item, said the Hillcrest/Easton Road area is repeatedly flooded after heavy rain and that the study will inform mitigation. "That Hillcrest Club side Easton Road area over there just gets pounded with water," Harbert said, describing recent storm runoff that travels from Route 224 and Route 21 into local creeks and neighborhoods.

The ordinance directs up to $40,100 from city funds for GPD Group to perform the engineering work; Harbert said the council previously set aside $300,000 to begin addressing the neighborhood's drainage problems. Council members described near-miss property damage during the most recent storms, including a reported instance when water in a local creek came within inches of a homeowner's pool and threatened a water heater.

Council moved promptly to adopt the ordinance. After a motion to adopt and a second, the council conducted a roll call and recorded unanimous support for the emergency measure.

The study will scope possible projects and provide recommendations that could be funded from the previously approved $300,000 budget for stormwater mitigation. Harbert said the work is intended as a starting point to identify options and costs rather than an immediate construction plan.

Background: Council members said runoff from higher-volume roads funnels into the Hillcrest corridor and that prior discussions and record searches are ongoing to identify longer-term solutions. The engineering contract is intended to produce options the city can evaluate and budget for in future capital discussions.

No timeline for draft deliverables from GPD Group was specified during the meeting.