A number of unforeseen issues have come to light, prompting town staff to ask the Town Council to approve a $163,511 amendment to its professional services agreement with JE Fuller Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc.

The engineering firm is charged with the design and engineering work for the Golden Eagle Park Drainage Improvement project.

Public Works Director Justin Weldy said the company has presented its initial recommendations following a study of the drainage conditions and issues. The objective is to create a design for a 10-year plan aimed at minimizing flood damage to park facilities as seen over the past several years.

“As part of the design, due diligence and discussions with the Community Services Department, several issues have come to light, requiring an expansion of the project scope,” Weldy said.

Aspects of the additional design work are to include:

*Relocation of shallow irrigation and electrical lines within drainage channels and light pole relocation to increase channel capacity.

*The addition of a flood wall on Cloudburst Wash that will contain the design flow without impacting ball fields.

*Provide a sidewalk extension along Cloudburst Wash that requires a retaining wall. Cloudburst Wash enters the park near the south end and runs adjacent to the large ramada.

*Evaluation of a pedestrian bridge crossing on Bristol Wash as an alternative to relocation of the sidewalk. Bristol Wash runs into the park near the north end between Field 1 and the other ball fields.

*Replacement of existing 5-foot sidewalks with 8-foot width on the multiuse loop path around the back of the ball fields. These paths need to meet ADA accessible guidelines as well as serve as maintenance vehicle access routes.

Weldy also said the expanded design work will require specialty work from sub-consultants including a landscape architect and structural engineer. That is included in the expanded contract.

Town Manager Grady Miller emphasized the design work is only the beginning but is necessary for the town to have a design on hand for potential grant applications and other fiscal considerations going forward. The completed design would include cost estimates and Miller said he is uncertain but believes construction could run more than $1 million.

“This is the biggest single issue from a capital standpoint that the town has in the next five years,” Miller told the council.

It was also noted that the Maricopa County Flood Control District is working on a master drainage plan for Fountain Hills with the district paying those costs. The town also has a $90,000 grant from the MCFCD to be used to offset costs of construction.

Any future construction related to the project would be phased with coordination between Public Works, Parks and Community Services departments and any available funding through grants would be pursued.

Councilman David Spelich noted the Fountain Hills Sanitary District has access to its facilities in the washes and needs to minimize damage and disruption that leads to erosion.

Miller said Town staff has been discussing the storm water drainage issues with the Sanitary District on an ongoing basis.

A storm in October 2018 inundated the Golden Eagle Park ball fields with up to six feet of water along the outfield fences, resulting in damage that cost nearly a million dollars to restore. A similar storm occurred almost exactly one year later in 2019, prompting a need for more repairs.

While Golden Eagle Park and the ball fields are designated as a flood retention basin the extent of the damage during this flooding is more than the town is willing to withstand to these facilities. Staff has been working on the plan to mitigate the storm water flows into the park to keep damage to a minimum and the design for this project is a big part of that effort.

Councilman Mike Scharnow noted that he led the first Parks and Recreation Commission that built Golden Eagle Park.

“We knew this was a major retention area,” Scharnow said. “But the last few years are reflecting changes we need to address.

“This park was built with Heritage Fund Grants. We need to keep our standards up at this facility.”