Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sanitary Sewer Easement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Good Thunder outlines sewer lining plan, easement offers for North Holiday properties
Summary
City staff told residents the North Holiday sanitary-sewer project will set new manholes, line an existing main where possible and seek new 15-foot easements from affected owners; staff warned trenching near an old fuel station could uncover contaminated soil and raise costs.
City staff on Saturday told residents of the North Holiday neighborhood that the city plans to set several manholes and to rehabilitate (line) an existing sanitary sewer main rather than perform long trenching through backyards, and that it will secure new 15-foot easements from affected property owners.
The presentation, described to residents as informational, said the city prefers to move the alignment slightly south — from an existing 12-foot corridor to a proposed 15-foot easement — to avoid a three-foot clearance between the pipe and a building and to reduce the risk of undermining foundations. "The sanitary sewer that runs just to the east edge of their building — we're going to line that existing pipe so there won't be anything going there," a city staff member said.
The staff member also cautioned that trenching near a former bulk-fuel station could encounter contaminated soil from historic tanks. Although a buyer's soil-boring report previously said the property was "clean," staff said excavation could trigger removals or other environmental work and rapidly increase costs. "If we started digging and we found dirty dirt that $7,500 would be gone in a matter of a day," a resident relayed during the discussion about potential compensation levels for temporary impacts.
Project logistics reported to attendees include placing a manhole at the northwest corner of one affected property and installing four to five manholes for the overall portion of work discussed. Staff said crews will attempt to minimize excavation near houses by installing manholes and lining from those points. The city plans to obtain easement agreements from individual owners (named in the meeting as Winters, Donovan Company and others) and to record them so future property records show the true easement locations.
Residents asked about fences, sheds and tree removal; staff said some yards contain encroachments into older rights-of-way and that owners may need to move fences or shrubs if easements are finalized. Utility relocation was raised: representatives for the local power utility (marked in the field by the utility as "XL") have flagged poles for potential movement, and city staff said pole work and any tree removal would be coordinated with property owners.
Staff described next steps: legal descriptions for easements had been prepared and forwarded to the city attorney, and staff expected to present an offer and a resolution for formal execution at the next Monday council meeting if the paperwork is completed in one to two weeks. City staff emphasized the meeting was informational and that no final construction contract or formal easement conveyance was approved at this session.
Votes at a glance: the only recorded formal action in the meeting was the routine approval of the agenda; no construction contract or easement conveyance was voted on. The council will consider formal paperwork at a later meeting when the attorney completes documents.
The city encouraged residents with questions about specific property lines or surveys to share available plats and noted Bolton M. (the project surveyor/contractor) has GPSed and flagged existing lines for staff review. Staff said work could begin as early as summer, weather permitting, but final timing depends on obtaining signed easements and any required environmental responses.
The council closed the discussion by inviting property owners to coordinate with staff about fence setbacks and to supply any survey records the contractor or city might use to confirm property pins.
