From the desk of Director of Risk Management/Safety Officer Rick Cochrane:
- The London Tourism Commission has decided to Demolish the old fencing and concrete block wall at Mill Street Park. Foster Supply in London had the low bid to install a decorative Readi-Rock fence with black aluminum fencing and gates at the park. The project began last week and the new wall is projected to be installed by December 2015.
- The Public Works Department is currently working on a storm sewer addition from Sycamore Street to West 11th Street on North Mill St. This will complete Phase 3 of the “Whitley Branch Project.” Whitley Branch runs along Mill Street and is the flood zone for the city. About 75% of all the rain water in the City runs along Mill St. during a rain event. The Whitley Branch Hazard Mitigation project essentially went from West 5th Street to Sycamore Street on North Mill St. The storm sewer was very undersized and was originally installed in 1928. Many houses and businesses along Whitley Branch flooded during a heavy rain. The streets from Sycamore down to the Mill Street park were almost impassable during a large rain event.
All of the pipes have been enlarged from small open ditches and 24 inch pipes to 84 inches in some places and from 48 inches to 96 inches on the lower end of Mill Street at the intersection of West 5th Street. The City received a grant in the amount of $760,000.00 from FEMA to complete the project. Total cost of the project including labor to date is close to $950,000.00. There has not been any flooding incidents reported in the area since Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project was completed in July of this year. Phase 3 should be completed within the next two weeks.
- The London Tourism Commission has just approved Phase 5 for the London-Laurel County Wellness park.
This will include (2) volley ball courts, (2) Restrooms buildings, (2) new parking lots, additional walking track, (52) trees, (40) shrubs and completion of the splash pad which will open in Spring of 2016. Jackson and Jackson Reclamation received the low bid for the Excavation for this project at $389,500.
- The London Rotary Park has been closed for renovation: The park is approximately 20-years-old and a portion of the equipment no longer met CSPC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) guidelines. The Tourism Commission and Mayor decided to renovate the park and add all new equipment and surfacing. The current park equipment will be demolished and the surfacing will be removed down to the dirt. Concepts for the new park will be discussed in a meeting on October 29th. at London City Hall. (4) Vendors will be presenting concepts to the committee, then after a concept is picked, the Tourism commission will advertise for bids on that concept. The park will reopen in Spring of 2016.
- The City Of London has just bid out the repair of a landslide on Liperote Way, off Highway 472 in London. The road began sliding about 2 years ago and has gradually become worse each year. The Mayor has asked the state to assist with emergency road funding to help repair the roadway. Irvine Contracting from London submitted the lowest bid to repair the road. The Council will be asked to approve the bid at the November 2015 City Council Meeting. Extensive soil testing must be done at the slide site and borrow site during the next few months before the project starts. If awarded, Irvine Contracting will begin the slide repair in Spring of 2016 as soon as weather permits.