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Board approves consent agenda; residents press for "wet" stormwater ponds in Caroline Cross area
Summary
The Board of Directors approved a 12-item consent agenda that included stormwater design and Caroline Cross Greenway actions, and heard resident concerns about whether planned mitigation ponds will be dry basins or permanently wet ponds.
The Board of Directors approved a 12-item consent agenda that included contracts, change orders and final-pay approvals for street overlays, stormwater master planning, the Caroline Cross Greenway and related projects. The board took a separate discussion on two related items concerning stormwater mitigation ponds and access at the Caroline Cross area after citizen questions.
City staff listed the consent items for the evening, including grant applications to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, time extensions and final payment on 2023 street overlay phases, design services for stormwater mitigation ponds, amendments to engineering agreements for bridge and airport projects, public service agreements with local organizations and contract work on the Caroline Cross Greenway and boardwalk. Staff said there were 12 items in total.
During public comment, Dr. Charles Hartsfield asked whether the “mitigation ponds” described in the engineering materials would be permanently wet ponds or dry basins that fill only during storms. Hartsfield said the presentation materials appeared to show wet water features and expressed concern about future resale or park use if the ponds were merely dry detention basins. City staff and consultants replied that the design intent to date is for dry basins that fill during heavy rainfall and then drain over 24–48 hours, but that the engineering contract under consideration allows further study to determine whether wet or dry configurations are appropriate.
Stan (city staff member) told the board the city contracted HAF Associates in 2022 to refine initial analyses and that the current scope is primarily for stormwater mitigation. He said the RDG presentation that board members had seen earlier showed wetter visuals as part of a combined park concept, and staff’s present recommendation is to pursue designs that can function as dry detention while being adaptable to wet configurations later if the board and project partners decide to pursue that option. “You can make them dry. You can make them wet. We don't know what's gonna happen with the park,” Stan said.
Board members including Director Lee Kim and Director Settle raised concerns about aesthetics and future marketability if the ponds remain dry basins. Stan explained that making the ponds permanently wet would require substantially more excavation and additional geotechnical work; that information is not yet available and will be part of the engineering investigation if the board directs it. He added that the primary purpose of the ponds is stormwater mitigation upstream to reduce flooding impacts downstream on the Town Branch corridor.
Staff also addressed access-cut concerns in the Riverland neighborhood tied to Caroline Cross work and said the contractor received permission from a private property owner to stage equipment and that the city intends to replant trees and shrubs in the spring. The consent agenda items, including change orders and final pay for the Caroline Cross Greenway and boardwalk, were adopted as presented.
The board approved the consent agenda by roll call (6-0).
