Utilities Superintendent Donnie Davidson presented a proposal for a flood control solution to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety for the corner of Garro St. and Plum St. This lot is where the old Eagles Building sits; and is across from the Marshall County Neighborhood Center. Davidson said, “Historically that area has received a lot of flooding. Recently it caused major damage mainly to the Neighborhood Center.”
Over the years the Utilities Department weighed all the options. The only viable option previously was to replace the storm sewer at that location and take it all the way to the Yellow River. That project would have cost approximately $1M without guarantee of a successful remedy. Davidson doubted that the Department of Natural Resources would approve that proposal because it would direct a large amount of water to the river rather than accommodate a solution for slower absorption and release. That solution could have resulted in potential flooding for other property owners farther downstream in the Yellow River.
The former Eagles property, belonging to Dennis and Angela Cripe – owners of DAC Enterprises, agreed to sell the property to the City of Plymouth. The result of two appraisals came to an agreement of $170,000 for that property. “Which is a very large piece of property which includes the parking lot to the north.” Included in the agreement, the Cripes also granted the City of Plymouth an easement along the railroad tracks to accommodate the planned water main extension project.
The plan is to demolish the building to avoid a squatter situation; and secure the property this year. Then move forward into the design of the retention basin; with the hope to start construction in late 2024 or in 2025. Eventually the property will be fenced in to limit access. In order to accommodate the large amount of flooding that the area suffers; the retention basin could be up to six feet deep. Davidson anticipates that the retention basin will remain mostly dry; and will be grassed. But when needed; will serve as a holding pond for the excessive storm water that accumulates in that area.
The Marshall County Neighborhood Center, residents at Garden Courts and other property owners in the area can now expect relief for a long term issue.
Councilman Jeff Houin asked if the entire property would be required for the project; Davidson emphasized that the entire area would be required due to historically large amounts of water pooling in that area. He advised the board that he believed they would regret any other action for that property.
Houin asked about the need for a fence; Davidson emphasized the safety factor. The retention pond needs to be deep to retain the flooding. The storm sewer is simply too small to accommodate that large volume of water that accumulates at that intersection.
The motion was made; seconded and approved.
Houin added, “I just want to thank Councilman (Robert) Listenberger for really starting the conversation on this project. He reached out to me and we contacted the Neighborhood Center really to talk about solutions for their flooding issue and ultimately we ended up reaching out to Dennis Cripe. I think that the Neighborhood Center is going to be really happy with this plan from my understanding because they mostly wanted to stay where they are. This allows us to alleviate the flooding problem and allows the Neighborhood Center to stay in their current location where they want to be. I think this is a good solution all around.”
Davidson anticipated that the property would be purchased and building demolished by mid-summer. At that point, the team will regroup once the property is secured to start the Engineering portion. He repeated that he hopes construction will start in 2024; early 2025 at the latest.
In a follow-up interview Councilman Robert Listenberger said, “I’m pleased that we reached an agreement with Dennis Cripe. This transaction will allow the City of Plymouth to finally fix a long term flooding problem for this corner of our City. Now this allows our wonderful Marshall County Neighborhood Center to make plans for it’s future whereas before the flooding disrupted services to a vulnerable population. Funding future plans for the center was always a challenge due to the flooding vulnerability. Thank you, Donnie Davidson, for your expertise in navigating this challenging issue and helping find an effective solution.”
Davidson also updated the board with a recommendation and request to amend the Pretty Lake Conservancy District Agreement to include the condominiums. According to Davidson, initially the condominiums were not included in the agreement but after a recent failures of their septic system; they want to be added to the existing agreement. Each unit owner will pay the same connection fee as all other users; there are 32 condominiums. The amount of water needed to accommodate this expansion is still well below the 40,000 gallon limit for the Conservancy. The board approved.
