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Commission approves Lochner amendment to add signal design and detention pond, drops pedestrian bridge
Summary
Deputy public works director Rex Ritter asked the commission to amend the East Crawford/ Brookwood Trail contract to add traffic‑signal design and a regional detention pond after hydraulic modeling showed higher water surfaces than FEMA data; the commission approved the change 5‑1 and removed the costly pedestrian bridge design from the contract.
The City Commission authorized Amendment No. 1 to the Lochner engineering services agreement for the East Crawford Street design and Brookwood Trail pedestrian bridge on July 13 after staff said updated hydraulic analysis showed higher water elevations in the existing channel than the FEMA model indicated.
Deputy public works director Rex Ritter explained the amendment would add traffic‑signal design at Crawford/Markley (the intersection does not meet signal warrants today but would likely in the coming decade) and add a larger, regional detention pond to the south side of Crawford to achieve a no‑rise certification for future development. Ritter said the detailed hydraulic (HEC‑RAS) model included channel features not present in FEMA data and that the detention pond would be low‑maintenance, use no pumps, and could leverage earthwork from the Crawford widening.
Ritter also explained the Brookwood Trail pedestrian‑bridge design cost rose because the required span and channel work made the bridge unaffordable. The amendment increases the combined contract amount by about $72,688 net after removing the remaining bridge design tasks. The commission voted 5‑1 to approve the amendment.
Ritter noted remaining conditions before recording the plat and the requirement for final technical approvals from utilities and KDHE permits for any water‑main work. The amended plan also requires the developer to construct a sidewalk along Edison Place or post a performance guarantee prior to certificate of occupancy.
