Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Valley Creek Restoration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Park and Recreation Board reviews $1.4 million Valley Creek restoration plan
Summary
The Park and Recreation Board reviewed a Stantec-led plan to restore Valley Creek using nature-based approaches; John said about $1.4 million in grants has been secured and a final stream design is expected in April, with council review next week.
At its regular meeting, the Port Washington Park and Recreation Board heard a presentation on the Valley Creek Corridor project from John, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, who said Stantec is leading the stream design and restoration work.
"There has been 1.4 million so far in grants," John said, describing the money as funding work on stream design and restoration. He told the board the project aims to restore the watershed, improve water quality, increase public access and make the corridor more resilient to flood events.
John described repeated past attempts to clear the channel with crews and equipment that failed to provide lasting protection against heavy storms. "We went in there when it was frozen with an excavator and a crew of five for almost a month and we cleared it out but it... by the next year, you couldn't even tell we touched anything," he said, arguing the scale and approach need to be different.
The design the board saw emphasizes nature-based solutions: using in-stream wood and regraded banks to reduce flashy flows and undercutting, and replacing some exposed drainage structures with restored channel geometry. Agencies involved include the state Coastal Management Program and the Department of Natural Resources; John said the project will be discussed at the next city council meeting.
The concept work also includes changes at Veterans Park where the creek reaches the lake: regrading to a gentler slope, new walking paths, and a smaller playground footprint. John said the plan would reduce some long, trailer-sized parking spaces and possibly result in a net loss of a small number of stalls; board members discussed moving trailer parking to a nearby county lot to mitigate that loss.
John said the final stream design is expected in April and that additional implementation steps are contingent on further funding and council approval. He reported that outreach so far—an open house—produced largely positive feedback.
