By Julie Johansen
At the Orangeville City Council meeting on Aug. 11, Marc Stilson spoke to the council about flood concerns. He stated that in his job as the Utah State Water Engineer, he sees many floods. One of his main concerns was the city’s storm drainage.
Stilson suggested that a flood prevention committee be organized. He also recommended three things that the committee should consider, including regular inspection of storm drains, regular maintenance of sediment buildup and enlarging channels to carry larger flows.
Continuing, Stilson said that the velocity of the flood water causes the damage. He also spoke about home and business construction on the flood plains.
Keeping the retention basins cleaned is a multimillion dollar project. Council members questioned ways to finance these projects and get around the cost.
Jay Mark Humphrey, Manager of the Emery Water Conservancy District, also emphasized that keeping these basins cleaned is not a onetime thing, but requires continuous work.
The council questioned the flood plains in the city, especially those that have establishments built on them. Craig Johansen, President of the Cottonwood Creek Irrigation Company, reported that there should be a report on file that would identify the underground storm drains. He said that most drain into the Cottonwood Creek.
The council members remarked that they would establish a committee and begin to work on this. This matter was tabled so that the council could research the issues before taking action.
The next item was to discuss the cameras in the city park and the possible addition of more cameras. It was also an item of concern as to where the city should place new cameras for the best results.
Brian Christensen with Superior Security Services explained that he could help the city obtain new cameras and internet connections for relaying information. He said that it does not all need to be done at once, but could be added on as needed.
The council felt that the cameras in the park have already been very beneficial and the council members will consider more being added. The item was ultimately tabled.
Next, vehicle parking on the streets in Orangeville was addressed by the council. The ordinance was reviewed and it was restated that vehicles cannot be parked on city property (streets) for longer than 48 hours without being in violation.
It was decided that council members and city maintenance will contact vehicle owners in violation and ask the vehicles to be removed. City hall will also create window signs to be placed on vehicles when someone cannot be contacted.
The council then ratified the purchase of new windshield for the city backhoe. They also accepted a bid from Riley Construction for concrete work to be done in the spring. This will include sidewalks and property approaches as well as ADA ramps on the corners.
There was also discussion about the ability to use a small percentage of BC Road funds for things such as animal control supplies and additional park cameras.