Hoover council considers spending $100,000 to fix flooding problems on private property

The Hoover City Council on Monday will consider about $100,000 worth of drainage improvements on five pieces of private property due to flooding problems that affect the welfare of the general public, city officials said tonight.

Hoover Council President Gene Smith said the city has struggled for decades with deciding when the city can step in to do drainage repairs because of the fine line between spending money for the public good and paying for repairs that should be handled by private property owners.

After last week’s severe flash flooding, city leaders identified five drainage problems on private property that city officials believe need to be fixed for the good of the health, safety, security and welfare of the community as a whole. Those are:

• A fatigued drainage pipe in the front yards of 1812 and 1816 Napier Drive in a community off Patton Chapel Road. City officials say they need to remove and replace the existing drainage pipe, headwalls, driveways and sidewalks on these two lots and work to stabilize the soil and control erosion there. The budget for the project is not to exceed $60,000.
• A fatigued drainage pipe in the side yard of 6572 Quail Run Drive that has caused sinkholes in the yard. City officials say they need to remove and replace the existing pipe, headwalls and inlets and do minor asphalt work, erosion control and soil stabilization. The budget for the project is not to exceed $35,000.
• A drainage structure in the backyard of 1808 Napier Drive contains a sunken area behind the drainage ditch due to deficiencies in the adjacent open channel. City officials say they need to fill and repair a sinkhole next to the strom ditch, construct a rip-rap berm and make repairs in the open channel. The budget for the project is not to exceed $5,000.
• A drainage problem in the rear of 605 White Stone Way in the Lake Crest subdivision. City officials say they need to remove a grate from an inlet structure on the lot. The budget for the project is not to exceed $1,000.
• A drainage problem in the backyard of 521 Whitestone Way in the Lake Crest subdivision. City officials say they need to remove a tree next to a storm sewer inlet. This project would be done by city workers and is not expected to require additional funds.

City attorney Phillip Corley Jr. told the City Council during their work session tonight that normally the city is only allowed to repair drainage problems in areas where the city accepts perpetual maintenance on public rights of way. However, state law does allow a city council to declare a “public purpose” for drainage repairs on private property for the general welfare of the community.

In such cases, these are one-time fixes, and the city is not accepting responsibility for future maintenance issues on the property, Corley said.

Councilman Curt Posey said other property owners who experience flooding problems will want to know how they can get on such a list. City Engineer Rodney Long said the city’s engineering department will evaluate requests to see if the city can take action or not.

Smith said the city is working on a new policy that helps spell out better when the city can address drainage problems and when it can’t. However, these issues on the agenda for Monday’s council meeting appear to qualify for city assistance and need to go ahead and be addressed, Smith said.

Councilman Casey Middlebrooks asked about an area on Mockingbird Lane in the Green Valley community that has flooded 12 times in the past nine years.

Long said the city has known about that problem for a long time. Before that property was annexed into the city, about three to six houses were built below the road level, which contributes to the flooding problem, Long said. City officials studied the issue in the past and determined it would be too expensive for the city to bear the burden of repairs there, he said.

In other business Monday, the Hoover City Council plans to consider:

• Amending its budget to spend $150,000 to hire the KPS Group to help the city create a comprehensive plan.
• Authorizing the mayor to create a community service agreement with a new nonprofit group called Leadership Hoover that will bring community leaders together to tackle important issues in the city.
• Authorizing the city to lease the Artists on the Bluff facility in Bluff Park from the Hoover Board of Education and, in turn, sublease the building to the Artists on the Bluff consortium. The Artists on the Bluff group will pay for utilities, and the city will perform general maintenance on the building and property, City Administrator Allan Rice said.
• Rezoning 12 acres along Patton Chapel Road for a 45-house subdivision for people ages 55 and older.
• Giving consent for the Alabama Department of Transportation to add additional median barriers on Interstate 459 between Interstate 20/59 and U.S. 280.
• Paying 20 percent of the costs for design work for a new 2.5-mile sidewalk along the south side of John Hawkins Parkway between U.S. 31 and the entrance to Cahaba River Estates. Design work is estimated to cost $300,000, and the entire project is expected to cost $4.3 million. If federal funding is approved, the state would use federal funds to pay 80 percent of the cost, and the city would cover the remaining 20 percent.