Officials may change flood control plans

COLDWATER - Recent flooding has prompted village officials to reconsider plans for retention ponds and consider moving certain attractions to more solid ground at this year's community picnic.

No decisions were made after discussion at the Coldwater Village Council meeting on Monday night.

During storms June 15 and June 17, about 300,000 gallons of water overflowed the sewer system into Hardin and Coldwater creeks, village administrator/engineer Eric Thomas said. The flooding led officials to declare a state of emergency. The town is under Environmental Protection Agency orders to stop overflows.

Officials had planned to create two 100,000-gallon retention areas - one near the village hall and another at the end of Eighth Street behind Hogenkamp Funeral Home.

Officials may now seek to expand the proposed areas or add a third area, Thomas said. He would like to expand the areas to hold about 400,000 gallons, he added. After the rain stops, the water could be pumped from the retention areas to be processed at the sewage treatment plant so raw sewage does not flow into the creeks, he said.

Due to the ongoing heavy rains, organizers are considering changes at the community picnic, Thomas said. The beer tent may be moved onto concrete instead of its usual location on grass to ensure delivery trucks can gain access, he said.

Organizers may also consider moving other attractions onto solid ground, he said. Final decisions will be made the Tuesday before the picnic, Thomas added.

The summer flooding increased the cost to the village for spring cleanup from $8,734 in 2014 to $13,011 this year, Thomas said. Many people took advantage of the cleanup weeks - which were extended by three days - to dispose of flood-damaged items, he said.

Klenke's Trash Service employees spent 55 hours on cleanup in the village in 2014 and 74 hours in 2015. Increased dumping fees also accounted for some of the higher costs, Thomas noted. The cost of the cleanup is paid with a fee collected on village garbage bags.

Council members also,

• approved a mutual aid agreement among Coldwater, St. Henry, Fort Recovery and Rockford police departments. In the event of a large incident in one community, officers from the surrounding villages would automatically respond rather than waiting to be called, Coldwater Police Chief Jason Miller said.

Council member Ralph Schwieterman, who also is a member of the safety committee, said officials will track the mutual agreement calls during the next year before reviewing the policy. Mayor Joseph Knapschaefer asked the chief to create a quarterly spreadsheet showing response times by Coldwater officers to other towns and vice versa.

• set an environmental committee meeting for 6 p.m. July 27 and a finance committee meeting for 6 p.m. July 20.

• had a 32-minute executive session to discuss land and personnel issues but took no action.