Auburn plans emergency storm-drain repairs after sinkhole; city highlights economic-development outreach

The Auburn city manager reported on Feb. 23 that a large storm-drain line collapsed in a parking lot near Grocery Outlet and Ace Hardware when a semi‑tractor‑trailer parked above it, creating a sinkhole that required towing and temporary trench plates.

"The truck fell into basically a sinkhole there, needed to be removed out," the city manager said, describing emergency stabilization steps and saying staff will bring an emergency action to the next council agenda to replace and repair the failed pipe as quickly as possible.

The manager also reviewed recent economic-development work, including a town hall focused on sales tax moderated by EDC chair Jay Ross and a panel that included downtown-business leaders and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce. Staff said the town-hall video is posted to the city’s YouTube page.

During public comment, a resident asked whether the city could produce a short summary of the economic-development town hall because several residents had asked online about businesses leaving and many would not watch a two-hour recording. "Some businesses have been leaving… I was wondering if there could be some kind of summary or something that lets people know kind of what we're doing to address some of those things," the resident said.

City staff also reported new downtown activity, including a vintage showroom pop-up and other business openings, and reaffirmed that staff will pursue an emergency repair agenda item for the storm drain and continue to post information and recordings on the city’s transparency channels.