Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> STAFF REPORT <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />TO: Mayor Keis and Members of the City Council <br /> <br />FROM: Bill Dircks, Public Works Director <br /> <br />DATE: February 7, 2020 <br /> <br />RE: Cleaning of Morrison Drainage Ditch <br /> <br /> <br />ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: <br />Motion to approve the cleaning of the Morrison drainage ditch by Blackstone Contractors for <br />$42,160.00. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />There is a Manage C wetland located along the back property lines of the properties on the west <br />side of McMenemy Street and the east side of Morrison Avenue. A Manage C wetland is the <br />lowest classification of wetland so it is not a high-functioning wetland but still provides good <br />treatment of water. This wetland area drains to the south where it intersects with another <br />wetland and both flow to the east underneath McMenemy Street and ultimately to Gervais Lake. <br /> <br />The wetland narrows on the south end and is essentially channelized as it passes through a ditch- <br />like area before intersecting with the wetland to the south. Over the years, this area has built up <br />with sediment and leaf compost and, as a result, the water draining from the wetland has not <br />been able to drain as quickly and standing water has crept into the backyards of some of the <br />properties after heavy rain events and hasn’t drained as quickly as it has in the past. <br /> <br />The ditch needs to be cleaned out so that the original grade can be re-established and water can <br />drain like it used to. The ditch has not been cleaned since the early 1980s, when Ramsey County <br />attempted to clean it out but had a bulldozer get stuck. Once the ditch is cleaned with a backhoe <br />and the original grade is re-established, City staff will inspect it annually and will keep up with <br />maintenance of it as needed. <br /> <br />The contractor will remove the excess material and haul it away immediately if it is dry enough <br />or it will be stockpiled until it is dry enough to be hauled away. An access easement was <br />obtained from 2444 McMenemy Street. The contractor will access the ditch from McMenemy <br />through that property and will also stockpile the material on that property. Right of entry <br />agreements were also obtained from 2400, 2410, and 2420 Morrison Avenue as work will be <br />taking place on each of those properties. There is a 30 foot drainage easement along the back <br />property lines of the Morrison and McMenemy properties. <br /> <br />Once all of the material has been excavated, the area will be seeded and blanketed immediately <br />so that vegetation can begin growing as soon as it is warm enough in the spring.