Comprehensive  Drainage    

Plan  of  Action    

Authored  By:  

Collin  Czilli  

September 1, 2015

Paid For and Authorized By Czilli for Portage. Elisabeth Czilli, Treasurer. 2

 Summary  

In the past twenty years, Portage has experienced tremendous growth as a community. This growth has put a strain on our storm water drainage system that has now grown to become an issue, that if not addressed sooner, rather than later, will manifest itself into a major, expensive issue for our city to fix. This plan’s purpose is to bring to light an issue that is not being heavily discussed both in this campaign or the community as a whole. Through my discussions with multiple residents who have experienced this problem, first hand, I have crafted a plan that will identify and help to solve issues that our city faces when it comes to drainage. The first part of this plan is the identification phase. We must, as a city, take a wholesale look at where we are and where we are going in terms of drainage. A comprehensive study of our city’s entire stormwater and wastewater drainage systems is crucial to the future development of our community. Secondly, once the areas of focus have been identified, we must prioritize our problem areas using a set criteria; including deciding what is the biggest threat to our system as a whole from collapsing or causing more major issues and what problems are causing direct harm and/or inconveniencing our tax payers. Third, we must begin to plan for how we will pay to fix major issues that have arisen in the past two decades or are newly discovered. We must look at a blank slate of ideas as to how to address drainage issues and how to pay to fix them. Finally, we must considered what new city developments will do to our systems in the future and whether our bonding power is being used in a responsible manner to address major issues in our community. This plan details each of these four sections and is a guide to fixing one of the biggest issues we face as a community.

Paid For and Authorized By Czilli for Portage. Elisabeth Czilli, Treasurer. 3

 Phase  1:  Identification    

The first phase of the Comprehensive Drainage Plan of Action is Identification. In order to understand what needs to be done, a study of every inch of our city’s drainage infrastructure is necessary. Therefore, I propose that the City Council take action to authorize a full-scale investigation and study of our city’s aging drainage infrastructure. Without this study, it is impossible to know exactly what areas we must focus on and what areas may be fine in terms of infrastructure. Areas of concern that are known include, but are not limited to;

- Willowcreek Road south of US Highway 6 - Airport Road drainage ditch between Robbins and Lute Road - Savannah Heights Neighborhood - Southfield Estates Neighborhood - Sarasota Heights Neighborhood (Especially along Prairie Duneland

Trail) - Capitol Estates Neighborhood - Samuelson Road Between Portage Avenue and Robbins Road - Main Drainage Pipe under US Highway 20 leading to Waste Water

Treatment Plant - All neighborhoods off of Stone Avenue - Aspen Avenue and Willowdale Road

This list is by no means complete. In order to continue to move forward on addressing drainage issues, a full comprehensive study is a must. Additionally, hearing the concerns of residents regarding drainage issues within their neighborhoods is also necessary to move forward. Any study must include not only data gathered by the city but also input from residents about their concerns. This Identification phase will be followed by a second phase, determination of crucial projects. The completed study will be turned over to both the City Council and Utility Service Board for discussion.

Paid For and Authorized By Czilli for Portage. Elisabeth Czilli, Treasurer. 4

 Phase  2:  Determination  of  Crucial  Project  

The second phase of the Comprehensive Drainage Plan of Action is Determination of Crucial Projects. Once a completed study is presented to the City Council and Utility Service Board, it will be up to the two bodies, along with the Department of Community Development, to develop a list of projects, in the order of importance according to the following criteria;

- Emergency situations that may cause system disruptions or collapse if not dealt with immediately

- Effect on the taxpayer both fiscally and service capabilities - Failure to drain water from roadways in close proximity to

residencies - Failure to drain water from heavily traveled roadways - Failure to drain water from non-heavily traveled roadways - Strain on current system capabilities - Failure to drain water from city park property - Failure to drain water from sidewalk areas - Failure to drain water from other city property

In order to address immediate issues, such as a major pipe breakage or immediate threat to residents, this criterion is necessary to determine project priorities. This criterion is by no means complete, other criteria may need developed as study continues or issues become worse. Deciding which drainage problems to fix over another is not an easy task. I do not claim to be an expert when it comes to drainage, thus a study conducted by experts is necessary. Project determination should be made in consultation with those who conduct the study and stakeholders, including those in flood prone areas. This determination is also not meant to be a set in stone plan as emergency situations do arise. Instead, this plan should be used as a general guideline list projects in order of importance so the city can plan for future expenses while knowing what needs addressed and when to address it.

Paid For and Authorized By Czilli for Portage. Elisabeth Czilli, Treasurer. 5

Phase  3:  Paying  for  Projects  The third phase of this plan is developing a plan to pay for the projects that have been identified, determined to be important and have action taken upon them. Let’s face it; this project will not be cheap. In the short term, this will cost our city government money that, at the moment, we do not have. That is why we must plan now for the future projects we will have to tackle. I propose that our city;

- Use its bonding power sparingly in order to prevent the inability to borrow capital

- Determine whether tax dollars are being used in an efficient manner - Seek any and all available grant monies to replace tax dollar

spending in all areas - Study an increase in storm water fees to determine whether it is

necessary to maintain a fully functional system - Put needs over wants - Consider system strain from any new developments within the city

limits - Judicious use of tax abatements

I have proposed three very bold ideas in this phase, including a small hike in the city’s storm water fees. Whether this is necessary at the moment is unknown, and will not be immediately known until a study is complete. The last action I would take as a City Councilperson is to raise city fees and taxes until all other options have been exhausted. Currently, our city is experiencing tremendous growth, including new parks and city buildings. However, we are also experiencing rebounding housing market and relocation of new employers in our community. These new developments do add a strain to our system and planning for the future is necessary in all decisions made by the city, both strategically and financially.

Paid For and Authorized By Czilli for Portage. Elisabeth Czilli, Treasurer. 6

Phase  4:  Taking  Action  on  Projects  The final phase of this Comprehensive Drainage Plan is to take action on projects that were identified in the Determination of Crucial Projects phase. Once prioritized, the city should focus on fixing immediate concerns that are identified to prevent future deterioration of our storm water system and the inconveniencing of our citizens. After speaking with many citizens, I have heard the following complaints or concerns;

- Something has to be done now - I have been promised for years that it would be fixed - My yard stays flooded for days, even weeks, after large rain storms - I cannot get out of my driveway during/following storms - I’m afraid my basement will flood - I have paid thousands of dollars to waterproof my home

These concerns are valid and show that this is an issue that affects all residents in our community. On a personal note, I have experienced a flooded yard in almost every rainstorm, and it does not drain quickly. My grandmother has seen a flooded basement because her drains were unable to drain into and already flooded street. Two residents, which I know of, have had to pay to have their homes waterproofed, at their own cost, in order to prevent future flooding from what would be classified as typical storms for our area. Additionally, any system will become overwhelmed during major rainstorms. That is a simple concept to understand. When it rains in excess of 1” per hour for extended periods of time, the system will become overwhelmed. That said, we have neighborhoods in which it takes days for water to drain. This poses both a safety and health risk to our residents. Take, for example, the homes in the Sarasota Heights neighborhood along the Prairie Duneland Trail. When it rains, water rushes off of the pavement surface of the trail into resident’s back yards. I have seen first hand the effect this has on our residents. One family has placed three sump pumps in their backyard to pump out water that is causing their entire back yard to sink. If we do not address these immediate issues now, we will pay for it in the future.

Paid For and Authorized By Czilli for Portage. Elisabeth Czilli, Treasurer. 7

 

 Conclusion  

In conclusion, I have provided to the residents of both the 5th District and the City of Portage a Comprehensive Drainage Plan of Action that I believe is crucial to the success of the future of our great city. If we do not act now, we will pay for that decision in the near future. Drainage infrastructure is not the most attractive or politically appealing issue that can be discussed and debated in a campaign or at a Council meeting. However, this is the most pressing issue facing our community. Creating jobs and providing services are important but drainage affects each and every resident. This comprehensive plan outlines the ways, in which we can; identify major drainage issues, determine crucial projects, find available funds for projects and, finally, take action on improving our drainage infrastructure. This issue is too important to not make it our number one priority. That is why I have crafted this plan. This plan is by no means a set in stone guideline that we must use in order to address these issues. Rather, this plan is a blue print of how to move forward. Like all plans, it can be adapted to new developments and feasibility studies. I hope this brings to light the issues that we face and how to solve them. I also hope this leads to a fruitful discussion about the future of our community as well.