Title
Approving the Department of Public Works' 2012 pilot program for porous alleys.
Body
WHEREAS: The City of Saint Paul contains nearly 24 square miles of impervious surface. Pavement and other impervious surfaces cause excess rainfall to run off the landscape. When uncontrolled, urban runoff conveys pollutants from the landscape to receiving waters such as lakes or rivers.
WHEREAS: Saint Paul has developed and continues to carefully evaluate approaches which ensure the most cost-effective stormwater management designs.
WHEREAS: Utilizing alternative surfaces such as permeable pavement can reduce stormwater runoff volume by allowing stormwater to seep through the pavement surface.
WHEREAS: The City has recently implemented alternative surfaces in a narrow context for certain municipal projects. They are conservatively situated in parking areas and sidewalk boulevards; areas with little to no vehicle traffic.
WHEREAS: Recently some municipalities have sought to reduce stormwater volume generated within alley right-of-way as a response to local drainage issues and Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) management.
WHEREAS: Interest and demand continues to grow for broadening the use of alternative pavement surfaces within the City, particularly within public alley rights-of-way.
WHEREAS: Demand is outpacing the City's ability to understand and address uncertainties associated with current or new permeable pavement installations.
WHEREAS: The Department of Public Works will construct a pilot demonstration of a permeable surface at two project areas in 2012. Area one is located in the alley bounded by Snelling, Minnehaha, Asbury and VanBuren referred to as the Hamline-Midway Library Porous Alley. The underlying soils are suitable for infiltration and there is an interest by the community to try a porous pavement in an alley. Area two is located southwest of Otto Ave. between Shepard Rd and the RR tracks referred to as the Victoria Park and Bluff St. access. The dead end road will be an access road for the new park to be constructed.
WHEREAS: The goals of the demonstration are to:
1. Develop first-hand knowledge of the durability of a permeable surface in a context other than parking lots;
2. Better understand the associated maintenance ramifications; and,
3. If possible, compare the cost and benefit to stormwater mitigation relative to the City's conventional approach currently considered the most cost-effective.
WHEREAS: As this is a controlled pilot demonstration, no other permeable surface installations by the Department of Public Works in the public right-of-way are anticipated until preliminary conclusions are reached at the end of a two-year pilot assessment period (end of calendar year 2014).
WHEREAS: While porous asphalt is the preferred alternative at this time, the City continues to review and consider the feasibility of additional alternative materials such as pavers or porous concrete.
WHEREAS: Additional proposed permeable surface installations by others in the public right-of-way should be deferred until completion of the study and at minimum must be reviewed and approved by the Department of Public Works for conformance and usefulness with the goals of this demonstration, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: For the 2012 pilot projects, the entire capital expense for construction will be absorbed by the City as part of the pilot project effort. Similarly, additional maintenance for a two-year period will be absorbed by the City. It is anticipated that an assessable maintenance cost would be determined after two years' experience from the pilot project. Any future critical system deficiencies or failures at the two 2012 pilot projects will be rectified at City expense.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: Once the pilot project program has ended, the city will develop a written policy regarding the use of alternative surfaces within the City, particularly within the public alley rights-of-way. The policy will address modifications for assessing abutting property owners, as may or may not be required, pursuant to study findings regarding alternative surfaces.