By Martin Couch
The Bryant City Council workshopped a plan to fix the property damage on Alderman Ed Collin's property and the property of Chris and Michelle Baker.
Richard Penn, the Bryant city engineer, was asked by alderman Adrian Henley to bring[more] to the Council meeting some suggested ways for the Augusta Cove drainage improvement.
"This is a recap of the work that I did last year with a couple of changes in its title," Penn said. "The total project is shown to cost $106,141.85 and the challenge at that time was funding for that project."
Penn compared three other alternatives to the original project that was to include a full design flow for stomwater, concrete pipe for about 280 feet buried across the street, the lowering of one water main, the lowering of one sewer service, one electrical and one gas service relocation, build one concrete headwall at upstream end, build one flared-end dissipater at the downstream end, and the total cost of pipe from Hanson is $42,560.74, plus construction cost from Redstone Engineering, which is $63,581.11.
In Penn's first example, “Augusta extra lite” affects only street repair. It includes, a full design flow for stomewater, concrete pipe for about 64 feet to cross the street, Street Department labor and equipment, lower one water main, lower one sewer service, open ditches remain upstream and downstream of street crossing, riprap each end of pipe in the ditch, leave the chain link safety fence and the cost of pipe from Hanson is $14,000.
The only problems would be an open ditch hazard, maintaining fences and erosion.
"Augusta extra lite was to show if only the street work were completed with one concrete arched pipe required underneath streets," Penn said. "We'd lower a water line and a sewer service, but the rest of the ditch would be open.”
“Augusta Lite” would be the use of a 48-inch plastic pipe through yards. The estimated cost of all of Augusta Lite would be $57,000 with no headwalls, but a reduction of 12 to 21 percent of water flow.
The third plan was called “Augusta – Internal Labor.” It included the use of the original concrete pipe, relocating electrical and gas lines, bedding, backfill and sod, trench safety, all for a grand total of $64,000 with no headwalls.
"Throw in the cost of the $64,000, and that is a rough estimate, and the $7,000 difference between using plastic or concrete, this includes doing all the street improvement, taking care of the utilities to relocate, filling in everything and sodding and doing it all with street labor with assuming there is no cost for that."
The headwalls would be included to the August – Internal Labor if the money was there to cover the cost.
"We also need to make sure this is on next year's budget," Mayor Larry Mitchell said.
Penn indicated that the Street Department was booked up, whereas Alderman Chris Tipton said that the Council would not push this project back.
"A budget has been proposed and there is that much in there," Bryant finance director Gary Hollis said. "We will still have to look at the budget to make adjustments, but that amount can come through. This is not for streets, this will come from the General fund."
Alderman Steve Gladden wanted to know the estimation of the term of the project.
"We'd go with more like six weeks, because I have to relocate other things and that's weather permitting," Penn said.
