Application was delayed by paperwork freeze at Corps of Engineers

A bureaucratic snag at the federal level that temporarily froze progress on the Huddleston Pond repair project has cleared up.

Last week City Engineer David Borkowski told the City Council that the Army Corps of Engineers has released its new permit application guidelines. The repair project had been in limbo because it couldn’t proceed without an approved permit which the Corps wasn’t accepting while it drafted its new rules.

Meanwhile progress has continued on another permit needed for the project at the state level: a buffer variance application that will be submitted to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

In March 2006, structural problems were found with the pond’s dam. Attempts to make temporary repairs to the dam’s spillpipe were fruitless, and the city had to drain the lake to avoid a potential breach of the dam.

The new dam will have a slope that’s less steep than the current dam, which will allow the area closer to the lake to be mowed. The city will also have to remove some trees from the dam area because they were part of the problem that led to the spillpipe degradation.

One of the items that partially held up the project led to some good news, though. Soil testing showed the city will be able to re-use soil from the dam site instead of having to truck in additional dirt. That will result in a savings of at least $100,000, Borkowski has said.

The lake’s size will increase after all the work is completed, and the city plans to replace the existing exercise equipment with new models, including some designed for older adults. It will cost about $40,000 to upgrade the exercise equipment and to add new playground equipment according to city estimates.

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