A $1 million stormwater retention project could help alleviate erosion issues caused by flooding in areas along Three Rivers Boulevard.
Officials from the city of Poplar Bluff and Three Rivers College are seeking a grant to fund half the cost of the project, which would take place along Pike Creek, near the Libla Family Sports Complex.
The city is seeking a Community Block Development Grant on behalf of the college, city manager Matt Winters explained Monday night during a public hearing and in the regular meeting that followed.
The project would construct two stormwater detention basins and install three culverts, each eight feet in diameter, within the North Branch of Pike Creek.
These are needed to help minimize flooding and erosion impacts to the area between Westwood Boulevard and the North Branch of Pike Creek, officials said.
The total cost of the project is expected to be about $935,000. Grant funds would cover about $500,000 of the project, according to city documents. Three Rivers College would contribute approximately $335,000, and the city would provide $100,000 of in-kind labor.
The city expects to learn in the spring if the grant is approved, Winters said.
As part of the grant application process, the city selected Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission to administer the grant, if it is awarded, and Smith & Company of Poplar Bluff to provide engineering services.
The city requested proposals from companies interested in both positions, receiving one for grant administrator and four for engineer. Engineering proposals were also submitted by Mathis and Associates, Civil Engineering Associates and Von Arx.
Smith & Company received the highest rating in assessments by Winters, city planner James Sisk and Dr. Wes Payne, TRC president.
In other business, the council voted to:
• Annex into the city property located west of Shelby Road and south of Oak Grove Road, owned by Natria LLC.
• Vacated right of way for a strip of land east of Shelby Road and north of Raider Way. The request came from an adjoining property owner, Jimmy Nicholson, who plans commercial development in the area. The purpose was to create a uniform distance from Shelby Road for the development.
• Did not approve a request for a change of zoning for 211-213 N. Broadway. The property owner, Francisco Vega Jr., withdrew his request according to officials. The planning commission had originally recommended denial of the request, which would have allowed the applicant to live upstairs and operate a business downstairs.
• Approved Mathis and Associates as the engineer on a street paving project related to the replacement of an Eleventh Street Bridge and street improvements on South Eleventh Street at Pike Creek.
• Modified agreements with the Missouri Transportation Finance Corporation regarding the terms of loans to cover portions of improvements to Highway 67 south. The city has extended the term of the loans to match the sunset on the funding sales tax.
• Annexed a section of Highway 60 east into the city limits.