Warr Acres approves rip-rap change order for Pine Lakes dam after timber wall deterioration discovered

Warr Acres — The Warr Acres City Council approved a contractor-proposed design change for repairs to the Pine Lakes East Lake dam after crews found the timber facing in much poorer condition than expected.

City engineering staff said the design initially anticipated replacing only the top timbers and tying into intact timber below. During construction, however, staff and the contractor discovered widespread timber deterioration down to soft material and no stable footing to anchor replacement timbers. Constructing concrete footings in that swampy location would have been technically difficult and expensive.

Contractor Simmeron Construction and city engineers proposed removing the failing timbers and constructing a rip-rap embankment (graded 3:1) sized to withstand wave action; the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) reviewed the design and confirmed the alternative would not change pond storage capacity if the slope and sizing follow standards. The Pines Homeowners Association, which shares project cost responsibility under a memorandum of understanding, approved the change.

Council approved the change order and contract amendment; staff said the rip-rap embankment quote came in slightly below the original top-timber replacement estimate and reduced the engineering and long-term maintenance uncertainty associated with timber in saturated conditions.

What happens next: contractor will proceed on the revised scope; staff will coordinate HOA payment responsibilities per the existing memorandum of understanding and schedule work within the construction window.