Flooded streets and slow-draining storm sewers have been a perennial problem for Kalona during downpours, which have been common this year. Though the low elevation and flatness of the downtown area will continue to hinder drainage, said Schalaugh, the revitalization work will see " a lot more water moving rapidly. We may still see some puddling with heavy sustained rains, similar to what we witnessed last week."
The larger a storm sewer pipe, the lower it must be buried, which causes a drainage problem when the elevation of much of Kalona is so close to that of the nearby English River, said Schlabaugh. Installation of a 40-inch to 48-inch pipe would not allow the needed slope to carry water away from the downtown and eventually to the English River. The project will increase the current 24-inch piping to 30 and 36-inch storm sewer lines.
Schlabaugh noted that the old 24-inch piping is single-walled PVC pipe that through the years has been pressed down into an oval, allowing less water to flow. The new storm sewer lines will be double-walled. The good news, Schlabaugh added, is that a recent televised inspection of the sanitary sewer lines under the downtown alleys showed them to be in good shape.
Two ditches carry the runoff south to the river, one on the east side of town bordering the city park and the second a couple blocks to the west of the downtown area. Though the drainage system will remain connected to the west ditch, the storm sewer project will install a new line north of the downtown area to the east ditch, which will also be enlarged.
The timing and extent of the revitalization project remains dependent upon funding. The city has major grant requests before the Washington County Riverboat Foundation and Vision Iowa.
If either grant is not awarded, Schlabaugh said, the revitalization would have to be reexamined, with the possible scaling back of some of the project elements. Even so, the underground infrastructure would remain a priority.
"We're not going to pour good concrete over bad pipes," Schlabaugh observed.
But the city administrator said he is upbeat about the city's chances of getting the grants.
"I feel very confident we presented a good plan," he said of the applications.
Construction is to begin April 15. The project includes alley reconstruction, $450,000; way-finding and signage, $120,000; Community Center parking, $300,000; storm sewer rehabilitation, $325,000; and B Avenue and Fifth streetscape, $1.3 million.
And though the public won't see the below-ground work, Schlabaugh reiterated, "The improvements will benefit the community for a very long time."
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