HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 01 12 Informational 104 Emergency Access Winding HollowCOMMISSION AGENDA
ITEM 104
January 12, 2009
Meeting
CONSENT
INFORMATIONAL X
PUBLIC HEARING
REGULAR
MGR ~ /DEPT ~~%~
Authorization
REQUEST: Public Works Department providing the City Commission with an
informational update regarding emergency access at Winding Hollow
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Board item is to provide the City Commission with an
informational update regarding emergency access at Winding Hollow.
CONSIDERATIONS:
• Tropical Storm Fay hit Winter Springs on August 20-22, 2008. The heavy rains caused
roadway flooding requiring temporary road closures at approximately 12 locations in the
City, including Winding Hollow Boulevard at Little Lake Howell Creek.
• Emergency access for Winding Hollow is at the southeast corner of the subdivision
through a 730-foot long linear park between Winding Chase Boulevard in Winding
Hollow and Trotwood Boulevard in Oak Forest. The emergency access path was
originally designed and constructed in 1998 as a 30-foot wide stabilized path including a
6-foot wide meandering concrete sidewalk. The existing emergency access was designed
for emergency vehicle access only and was not designed or intended to be used as a
secondary access route for residents in case of emergency or evacuation. During Tropical
Storm Fay, Winding Hollow residents were unable to utilize the emergency access to enter
or exit the community.
• At the September 8, 2008 City Commission meeting, the Commission provided
authorization to proceed with construction to widen the existing 6-foot sidewalk to a total
width of 12-feet along its entire length (see Exhibit A). The 12-foot wide sidewalk
provides a more reliable secondary access available to residents in case of emergency. The
sidewalk widening project was completed on approximately October 1, 2008 at a cost of
$29,372.
011209_COMM_Informational_104_Winding Hollow Emergency Access Update
Informational Agenda Item #104
January 12, 2009
Page 2 of 4
Winding Hollow Emergency Access -Sidewalk Widened to 12-feet
Informational Agenda Item #104
January 12, 2009
Page 3 of 4
FUTURE EMERGENCY ACCESS TO ALTON ROAD:
• A second potential emergency access route has been identified between Winding Hollow
Boulevard and Alton Road (see Exhibit B), a distance of approximately 850-feet. This
route is currently an unimproved dirt path that bisects undisturbed wetland areas to the
north and south. A stabilized or paved emergency access path could be constructed at this
location to provide an additional emergency access route. Several design constraints exist
at this location that will increase the cost and/or complexity of the project, including:
1. The emergency access path would have to cross No Name Creek at the western
end, near Alton Road. No Name Creek is a FEMA regulatory floodway, which is
considered to be an extremely hazardous area due to the potential velocity of
floodwaters. Encroachments into the regulatory floodway are prohibited. In order
to cross No Name Creek with a reliable emergency access path, the design would
have to demonstrate that the path is safely above the 100-year flood elevation
without causing any increases in velocity or elevation within the regulatory
floodway. The existing culvert at No Name Creek does not have the capacity to
convey the 100-year storm flow.
2. Several locations along the emergency access route could be considered wetlands,
which could require mitigation depending on the extent and nature of the wetland
impacts.
3. The path will require a permit from the St. Joliis River Water Management
District.
• The City is currently completing a "TMDL Master Plan," which identifies a series of
potential projects that can be implemented to meet the City's state-mandated reduction of
stormwater pollutant discharges into Lake Jesup. One potential project in the TMDL
Master Plan is in the immediate vicinity of the proposed Alton Road emergency access
route and consists of the following components:
1. Rehydrate the 31-acre wetland on City-owned property to the north of the
Winding Hollow subdivision;
2. Re-route the underdrain discharge on the west side of the subdivision to the north
into the wetland area;
3. Install an overflow weir to divert flow from No Name Creek into the wetland
treatment system; and
4. Install baffle boxes for pre-treatment and a control structure to re-hydrate and
regulate discharge from the wetland system.
• The TMDL project described above would share some of the design tasks and constraints
as the proposed Alton Road emergency access path (floodway encroachment, wetland
impacts, etc.). Staff is currently planning to address the design and permitting aspects of
the proposed emergency access in conjunction with the TMDL project.
Informational Agenda Item #104
January 12, 2009
Page 4 of 4
FUNDING: None
RECOMMENDATION: None
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit A -Emergency Access Route to Oak Forest
2. Exhibit B -Emergency Access to Alton Road
COMMISSION ACTION:
Exhibit A
Winding Hollow Subdivision
Widen existing 6-foot sidewalk to 12-feet
to oak forest
to winding hollow
Exihibit B
No name creek floodway
proposed emergency access
Winding Hollow subdivision