Repairs Set To Begin On Holbrook Levee Meander

By Linda Kor
   The Holbrook levee is expected to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency deadline for recertification by the end of this year, despite scouring discovered in the Little Colorado River.
   In August it was announced by engineers with JE Fuller that a scouring had been discovered in a bend of the river. The engineers recently completed a survey of the meander and found the existing riprap toe is 5.9 feet below the channel bottom. After calculating the degree of damage, it was determined the total scour would be 10.9 feet below the channel bottom, leaving five feet of unprotected area below the toe of the riprap.
   According to City Engineer Caleb Lanting, the addition of five feet of riprap will allow the certification process to continue, keep the residents on the south side of Holbrook out of the floodplain and provide extra protection for the citizens of Holbrook.
   The Holbrook City Council was asked to award a $16,900 contract to Perkins Cinders Oct. 27 to pay for the riprap necessary to repair the levee. Riprap is a combination of various sized stones used to prevent erosion from taking place.
   With the deadline fast approaching, several concerns were raised by council members regarding the possible permits required for the work to be completed within the timeframe allowed.
   According to Lanting, there are six criteria that allow for erosion prevention without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the area needing repairs meets that criteria.
   “The biggest fear is that we go through all this, then FEMA says no. Are you documenting all of this?” asked Councilman Charles Haussman.
   “Yes, I am. Also careful record keeping of the construction,” replied Lanting.
   Haussman also wanted a rough timeline for completion of the project.
   “Klienfelder (Engineering) has completed the boring and the soil samples have gone to the lab. They have also surveyed the cross sections for the meander. The work should be completed four weeks after the riprap is ordered,” summed up Lanting, adding that the timeline was still on target.
    There did appear to be some uncertainty from staff as to where the $16,900 required for the unexpected expense was coming from.
   “Is this going to be a budget amendment? I find that the funds are coming from wages and health insurance. Who’s not getting paid?” asked Councilman Kent Darris.
   City Manager Carlo Pilgrim stated that an employee had quit, and his wages were going toward this project. He then added that there were also some unused funds.
   “My understanding is that a person was transferred into that vacant position,” stated Haussman.
   Councilman Wade Carlisle agreed, “It was my understanding also that an employee transferred from code enforcement to sanitation, and someone from sanitation to the levee,” stated Councilman Wade Carlisle.
   A clarification made by Finance Director Randy Sullivan the Friday following the meeting indicated that Carlisle was correct. The funds remaining in the now unfilled code enforcement position will be used to pay for the repairs on the levee. “At this time we still have one remaining employee in code enforcement, and since we have a hiring freeze and are unable to hire additional personnel, we were able to use those funds to pay for the levee repair,” explained Sullivan.
   Sullivan will be presenting a budget amendment at the Nov. 10 council meeting in order to transfer those funds to the levee.
   According to Pilgrim, the original deadline for recertification was July 21, but a meeting with the engineers and a FEMA representative allowed for the work to continue on the levee until November and possibly December of this year, with no specific date noted.