Agenda - 08-29-2005-1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 MEMORANDUM To: Jolm Link, County Manager From: Brent Bogue, MRCS District Conservationist David Stancil, E&RC Director Date: June 22, 2005 Re: Stillhouse Creek Stream Restoration The purpose of this memo is to provide a status report on this project, which has been in the works for some 30 months now. As you know, this is a project to repair and restore Stillhouse Creek using a variety of tecluiiques, from Margaret Lane to the Eno River tluough the County's downtown campus. The full cost of the project (around $100,000) will be borne by the State Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP). Because of the unique nature of the project, plans are also to include environmental education and interpretive signage (both by the State and the County) as part of the project, Stillhouse Creek has seen substantial erosion in the last 25 years and is now very close to the foundation of the Covenunent Services Center building. The delays in completion of the project are primarily due to tlaee factors: 1) turnover in State Wetlands Restoration Pxogrun staff; 2) physical reassigmnent of this program to the State's EEP, and 3) creation of drawings and bid documents for the project by State designers.. At this time, the Justice Facilities Expansion Project design (including the plamxed RiverPark on County lands behind the courthouse) is underway, which has focused renewed attention on the stream restoration project in recent weeks, In particular, the potential bridges/crossings of Stillhouse Creek and the location of the planting/easement boundary as it relates to the proposed Farmer's Market/slxelter have been identified as issues, nur most recent conversation-s ta~ith EEP indicate that the.fcnal project drawings have been pr°epared mul the project is ready to be bid and consb-ueted. The actual construction to prepare the stream ,for the stabilization and plantings will take appr°oximately two weeks acrd could begin as em•ly as September Plantings of a variety of native vegetation (trees, siu-ubs and other vegetative cover) to support the stream stabilization would occur following this work Over time, this will transform the area along the stream into a stable, healthy, vegetated piedmont stream segment inside the urban setting of Hillsborough. Recent conversations with EEP staff and the State designer have resulted in the inclusion of the third br°idge across the stream in the location desired by the JFEP/RiverPaxk team, to provide easy access from the Cameron Street parking lot to the proposed Farmer's Market location. This should address the issue related to the bridge/access. The other two bridges are the permanent bridge at the Govenunent Services Center and the replacement of the sturdier of tvvo Boy Scout-built bridge locations at the Occaneechee Village.