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Stonecrest officials say Panola Shoals riverbank work is being redesigned after repeated flooding
Summary
Deputy city staff told the TIP Committee the Panola Shoals trailhead parking and riverbank stabilization project is on its fourth redesign after two flood events; the city spent a scour analysis and may request additional funding.
Deputy City Manager provided the TIP Committee an update on the Panola Shoals riverbank stabilization project on Oct. 8, saying repeated flood events forced multiple redesigns and that contractors are proposing several new options.
The deputy said the city “approved $75,000 for a scour analysis,” and that the analysis has prompted four design options to protect the stream bank. She said the contractors on site include a firm identified in the discussion as Vertical Earth (transcript: “vertical earth restructures”) and a second contractor noted as CIRM/CERN; those firms are working with the engineering team to produce a design and updated cost estimate.
The deputy said the city had originally expected construction earlier, but after the most recent flood events staff and consultants concluded the earlier designs would not have held. She told the committee the scour analysis led to options such as sheet piles driven 15–19 feet into the bank and alternatives that rely on riprap rather than “ready rock,” and that engineers are evaluating design standards tied to different flood-return intervals.
Committee members asked whether the timeline had changed. Council member Tammy Grimes asked whether a previously discussed September 2025 completion date had slipped; the deputy said staff had been told a contractor’s schedule showed April 2026 as a proposed resumption date, which she found “unacceptable” and said she has pressed the contractor for an earlier start. The deputy said staff “can provide a written update tomorrow” and may return to the committee to request additional funding once a preferred design and cost are identified.
During the exchange the committee discussed earlier emergency work and payments. The deputy said the city previously authorized about $75,000 for the scour work and referenced a separate roughly $92,000 emergency pay item that had been ratified later; she also said the initial project budget had been about $1 million and that expenditures to date had exceeded that amount, though she did not provide a precise current total.
The deputy framed the redesign as a precaution against future flood damage and said staff want a product the community can rely on: “we’re doing due diligence,” she told the committee. Members asked staff to prepare clear written updates for the public and to coordinate messaging with communications staff before any additional funding request is filed.
No formal committee vote or spending authorization on Panola Shoals occurred at the Oct. 8 meeting; the deputy said staff will return with a recommended design and cost estimate.
Ending: The committee asked staff for a written update within 24 hours and signaled it expects a future request if staff recommend additional funds; a schedule and final design remain pending.
