Honorable Mayor and City Council
On February 13, 2023 the City owned house at 4197 Ironwood Avenue was declared “surplus land” by the majority of the City Council. The purchase of this house was the result of a four year effort from 2010 to 2014 by City staff to find and purchase a house on the north side of Ironwood between the Ironwood Avenue – Guava Avenue and Ironwood Avenue – Elder Avenue intersections. Since being purchased in 2014, the property of this house has provides the lowest cost storm drain gravity system alternative, which can incrementally be upsized as funding becomes available. Also, the property of this house provides for a couple pump alternatives, one of which may be able to compliment additional gravity drain lines now. These are discussed below.
In the attached June 27, 2011, Agenda Staff Report, then Director of Public Works, Sean Crumby, recommended purchasing one of ten houses on the north side of Ironwood Avenue between Guava Avenue and Elder Avenue. Using the property of one of those houses, he indicated an upsized drain system could be constructed at a significantly lower cost than the $8.2 million identified in the 2008 Master Plan of Drainage. He thought it was likely the upsizing project could be constructed at a cost of under $1.0 million. The idea being to continuing improve the storm drain effort over time in phases as more funds became available.
In the attached modified October 22, 2012, Agenda Staff Report, City staff identified five possible alternative all but one utilized the property of one of those 10 houses on Ironwood Avenue. Alternative 2 did not consider the purchase one of the houses and it was given no further consideration due to adding 7 additional easements on the north side of Lampson Avenue and involving 14 houses. In the Summer of 2014 the house at 4197 Ironwood Avenue was purchased, satisfying the need for a house on the north side of Ironwood Avenue. The attached March 25, 2019, City CPE Storm Drainage Presentation had all three alternative all utilizing the house at 4197 Ironwood Avenue.
Until the March 21, 2024 CPE Townhall Meeting, the public was not aware the City was considering another $50 million storm drain project at Aster Park, which has no financing associated with it and very unlikely to ever obtain financing. After declaring the house surplus and during the City’s effort to sell the house at 4197 Ironwood Avenue, the Director of Public Works, Iris Lee, said there was a secret project for the CPE storm drainage project, which I now assume is the project at Aster Park. What happened to public review of projects? One has to wonder how City Council can declare the 4197 Ironwood Avenue as surplus after it being the key component of the storm drain project alternatives for over ten years and with alternatives less than $50 million. The house at 4197 Ironwood Avenue should not be sold until another project is identified, reviewed with public, and financing obtained.
At this point, the City should consider removing the house at 4197 Lampson Avenue and constructing two additional gravity storm drains through the property and across Lampson Avenue to the Old Ranch golf course. This may create a five year storm protection level, which would mean less flooding and faster recovery from flooding. Funding could be through a loan, bond, or even selling the Tennis/Pickleball Center. What would the people at the beach do if the city did not annually build a winter berm? They would just have to live with the flooding. If the City Council continues with the sale of the property, the Council will be telling the people as shown in the attachment JUST LIVE WITH THE FLOODING!
Regards,
Gary Miller
Editor’s note: This letter was emailed to the City Council on Sunday, March 24, before the council’s decision on the sale of 4197 Ironwood Ave. (The city is not currently selling the property.) Author Gary Miller, a past District Four council member, agreed to its publication too late for inclusion in the March 28 issue.
