Floodplain Permit Committee Meeting

FLOODPLAIN PERMIT COMMITTEE MEETING 201 West Gray, Building A, Conference Room D Monday, December 7, 2020 3:30 p.m. Minutes PRESENT: Shawn O’Leary, Director of Public Works Ken Danner, Subdivision Development Manager Jane Hudson, Director of Planning and Community Development Lora Hoggatt, Planning Services Manager Sherri Stansel, Citizen Member OTHERS PRESENT: Carrie Evenson, Stormwater Program Manager Todd McLellan, Development Engineer Amy Shepard, Staff Tony Mensah, Street Superintendent Michael Roberts, Citizen Ben Whyatt, Citizen The meeting was called to order by Shawn O’Leary at 3:30 p.m. Item No. 1, Approval of Minutes: Five members of the committee were present, and a quorum was established. Mr. Scott Sturtz was absent from the meeting. Mr. O’Leary called for a motion to approve the minutes from the meeting of November 2, 2020. A motion was made to approve the minutes by Sherri Stansel. The motion was seconded by Lora Hoggatt. The minutes were approved 5-0. Mr. O’Leary noted that the committee is still short one citizen member, the position has yet to be filled. Item No. 2, Floodplain Permit Application No. 620: Mr. O’Leary said this application is for maintenance activities on 6 bridges within the City of Norman that were deemed the highest priority for maintenance. Two (2) of the bridges are located within the Bishop Creek floodplain/floodway, with the remaining bridges located in the Floodplain Permit Committee Meeting December 7, 2020 Page 2 Dave Blue Creek, Willow Branch Creek, Merkle Creek, and Little River floodplain/floodway. Dr. Carrie Evenson gave the staff report for Floodplain Permit Application No. 620. Dr. Evenson said the application is for the 2021 Bridge Maintenance Program. Dr. Evenson said the applicant is the City of Norman Public Works Department,and the engineer for the project is Jason Spencer. Dr. Evenson noted that Mr. Spencer has recently ended his employment with the City, and Mr. Tony Mensah, Street Superintendent, would be the representative for the Applicant. Dr. Evenson said the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is tasked by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to perform Bridge Safety Inspections for all publicly owned structures greater than 20 feet in length. Dr. Evenson said the City of Norman currently has 75 bridges requiring inspection per FHWA criteria. Dr. Evenson said H.W. Lochner completed the required Bridge Safety Inspections in November 2019 and provided the inspection reports to city staff. Dr. Evenson said data obtained from the Bridge Safety Inspections were used to prioritize bridges that are in need of rehabilitation, maintenance, and/or replacement. Dr. Evenson said maintenance activities include repairing erosion and scour, removing debris, restoring channels, placing rip rap (limited to the immediate vicinity of the bridge), and repairing cracks and sealing joints of the bridge itself. Dr. Evenson said such maintenance activities are necessary to prolong the life of the City’s bridges and are vital to insure the safety of the traveling public. Dr. Evenson reviewed the bridge locations and the scope of work for each location. Dr. Evenson reviewed the inspection reports, photos of the maintenance recommended, and the location of the bridge within the floodplain. Dr. Evenson said any material brought into the channel is only to replace what has been previously washed away. Dr. Evenson verified the application meets all applicable ordinances and said that staff recommended approval of Floodplain Permit Application No. 620. Mr. O’Leary introduced Floodplain Permit Committee Meeting December 7, 2020 Page 3 Tony Mensah and informed the group that Mr. Mensah could answer any questions about the project. Mr. O’Leary asked if there were any questions from the committee. Mr. Ken Danner asked if any part of Merkle Creek was still listed as Normandy Creek. Dr. Evenson said that Merkle Creek is primarily used as the identifier for the entire length of the channel. Mr. O’Leary asked if there were any additional questions from citizens. Mr. Ben Whyatt asked if any of the work had already started. Mr. Mensah said maintenance had begun at two (2) of the locations. Mr. Whyatt said his main concern was the bridge located on Concord Drive. Mr. Whyatt noted that there had been a notice in the Norman Transcript on November 21, 2020, which stated that the bridge would be closed from November 23, 2020 through December 7, 2020 for maintenance but that he hadn’t received the Floodplain Application #620 notification until November 19, 2020, and was not able to give feedback about the project before work started. Mr. Whyatt said he supports the maintenance that is being completed but if the intent is to give citizens a chance to express a concern then it should be before work has started on a project. Mr. O’Leary said that the project engineer did not realize that basic maintenance required a floodplain application, and as soon as the oversight was discovered, the work was placed on hold until notices were sent and an application was submitted for review. Mr. O’Leary agreed that the process should be followed and thanked Mr. Whyatt for his comments. Mr. Danner recommended approval of Floodplain Permit Application No. 620. Jane Hudson seconded the motion. The committee voted to approve the application 5-0. Item No. 3, Miscellaneous Discussion: a) Mr. O’Leary said the December 21, 2020, meeting has been cancelled due to lack of applications. Floodplain Permit Committee Meeting December 7, 2020 Page 4 b) Mr. O’Leary said there are pending applications and to anticipate the Floodplain Permit Committee would meet on January 4, 2021, in person. c) Ms. Stansel asked for an update on the Pickard Ave floodplain violation. Dr. Evenson said that the City Attorney’s Office was very close to filing proceedings in court. Item No. 5, Adjournment: Mr. O’Leary called for a motion to adjourn. Ms. Hoggat motioned to adjourn and was seconded by Ms. Stansel. Motion was approved 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 3:51 p.m.