SEVEN POINTS ROADS UPDATE
APRIL 30th Flooding Event:
Storms reveal severe flooding problems in many areas of Seven Points. In one such area on April 30, a major stormwater channel had become so overwhelmed that the floodwaters came within one inch (1”) of entering a resident’s home. We sent our two street maintenance workers, Rocky Callaway and David Wall over to the site with dump truck, mini-excavator and a trailer full of culvert pipe in tow. In the span of just one day, they were able to replace a pipe under the road that had separated and caused a small cave-in of the road and freed up clogging and damaged pipes that jammed up the flow of water. The culvert pipe along the road was also replaced, ditches on both sides of the road were re-dug after being cleaned, and plans have been made to re-dig the run-off path to the lake after 8-1-1 has marked potential lines in the path thereby alleviating future flooding on the current scale. Both sides of the road from one intersection to another have been cleared and other culvert pipes were freed of clogging to allow the natural flow of water to continue as designed. I would really like to thank our guys in Street Maintenance for the quality and professional job done Thursday and their continued efforts in spite of delays caused by weather, limitations on available equipment and the overwhelming problem left by decades of neglect and poor management. These two hard working employees come to the city with many years of experience and training in road construction, drainage and flood mitigation. These two men have proven their worth to the City of Seven Points time and time again, this being one of their better jobs.
We sent the crew in with equipment recently purchased by the city at the Mayor’s recommendation and oversight, and our maintenance crew previously hired by Thom Lauer with the experience and knowledge enough of road construction to repair the problem and return the road back to a travel capable condition in one day. Culverts were cleaned and enlarged to take on more water, new culvert pipe was laid under the road to repair the separation and return the road to drive-able condition and the problem was corrected to resolve the issues. This is an example of several major problems throughout the city, and the beginning of a major problem in this neighborhood. Pipe under the road separated, was improperly joined together initially, and created a sink hole that had residents in the neighborhood worried about the collapse which had already begun. Many thanks to the Mayor for pushing these requests through the council so that we have some of the equipment, manpower and materials we desperately need for these needed repairs