Chambana Sun

City of Gibson Drainage Taskforce met July 9

Here are the minutes provided by the task force:

1. Roll Call Mayor Dan Dickey

a. Farnsworth Group Representatives:

i. Emily Jenkins, Amanda Dobson, Jessica Palmer

b. Gibson City Drainage Taskforce Members in Attendance:

i. Mayor Dan Dickey, Alderman Randy Wyant, Howard Curry, Danielle Brown, Paul Patel, Ed

Molck, Eric Tjarks, Jeremy Darnell, Terry Roesch, Amy Hood

c. Gibson City Drainage Taskforce Members not in Attendance:

i. Supt. Brad Duncan, Kenna McCall, Lyndi Barnes

2. Welcome Mayor Dan Dickey

3. Review Task Force Goals and City Potential Solutions Emily Jenkins/Brad Duncan

a. Reviewed the goals of the Drainage Taskforce and Commitment

i. Identify City drainage issues by engaging with the community

ii. Communicate the issues to the City and the City Engineer

b. There are five (5) main subbasins that convey water into Drummer Creek or the tributary to Drummer Creek. Conversation about potential solutions

i. North Drainage Areas (Railside) – new structure between ditch and Railside subdivision, detention basin west of school, overflow spillway between east and west detention swales in Railside

ii. Middle Drainage Area - additional storm sewer pipe and manholes in the open rectangle area in the southwest corner, proposed stormwater basin in the northeast corner

iii. South Drainage Areas - Dredging ditches, cleaning culverts, clearing existing infrastructure will

iv. Railroad Interaction and Channel Maintenance - Norfolk Southern Existing Bridge in Poor Condition

4. Educational Content: Ditches Emily Jenkins/Brad Duncan

• Why is there water in the ditch? When does it classify as an issue?

a. Ditches are located in the Right-of-Way (ROW) – which are areas in which the City holds an easement for roadway and drainage purposes

b. Ditches capture, store and convey stormwater runoff to prevent flooding of homes, yards, and roads

c. Ditches provide a safe location for stormwater to go that is not on top of the roads and sidewalks. They slow down water to help reduce erosion and scouring. They provide more storage capacity and are less expensive than pipes and can be used in conjunction with/or without pipes

d. Ditches should hold water after a rain event and convey water to downhill receiving stream

e. Ditches are not doing what they are suppose to be doing when: there is standing water four days after a rain event or water is spilling out of ditch

5. Task Force Feedback

• Mark drainage issues on the maps

• Fill out comment form to describe each marked drainage issue in detail Farnsworth Group, Inc.

a. Taskforce members were encouraged to mark drainage issues on maps of the City and fill out comment forms to explain these issues.

b. Farnsworth Group collected these forms and maps and compiled the information for review

6. Open Discussion Emily Jenkins/Mayor Dan Dickey

a. There is a need to address the culverts that cross under 54 as well as the ditches that run alongside

i. Efforts will be made to contact the Entities responsible for the maintenance of these structures

b. Work needs to be done with the Railroad to maintain the culverts that cross the railroad and the ditches that run alongside them

i. Continuous contact has been made and will continue to be made to get details about the work being done

c. The Triangle property on the north side of the railroad has been officially annexed in order to develop a dry detention pond

d. Grants and Funding Assistance will be investigated for future projects

e. The City will continue to do maintenance on drainage infrastructures

f. The City no longer allows the filling of ditches

i. Education elements, such as the information presented today, will be provided on why it is important to not fill ditches.

g. There is a concern about the condition of the outlets in Drummer Creek

h. Railside:

i. There is frustration that no construction has been started yet to fix the drainage issues

ii. There is a concern that any drainage improvements will push the water to State St.

1. There is no intention for the water to cross south of 19th Street

iii. Money should not be spent on new subdivision development before the drainage issues have been fixed.

i. Where construction had been done there have been no complaints from the Community, and the effort and communication in fixing these issues has been appreciated

j. The City is aware of some major problem areas and are working on projects to address them (like the current dredging of ditches and cleaning of infrastructure). The Community can help identify smaller issues that may go unnoticed. This Taskforce can help identify areas that have had drainage issues and if there are any areas getting worse.

k. The Taskforce should talk to as many people as you can to get more information on drainage issues and relay information that has been discussed in the Taskforce meetings

7. Adjourn

https://gibsoncityillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024.07.09_-Task-Force-Meeting_Minutes-.pdf