By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
SUAMICO – After meeting in closed session May 3, the village board approved a contract with Ayres Associates to conduct a flood mitigation study in Suamico this year at a cost not to exceed $19,251 with money coming from the stormwater fund.
Funds totaling $27,000 for the study were included in the 2021 village budget, though Village Administrator Alex Kaker said data collected by Brown County could save the village $7,000.
In January, Ayres presented the board a proposal to conduct the study at a cost not to exceed $20,000, but board members favored seeking bids when facing a cost exceeding $5,000.
Kaker said the bid submitted by Ayres was the lowest rate the village received out of seven proposals in terms of the charges per hour.
According to the contract proposal submitted by Ayres, the firm plans to analyze six sites in Suamico prone to flooding, which include roadways near the Bay of Green Bay.
“Our general observation is that the roadways are at an elevation lower than the flood elevation, which would lead to an expectation that the roadways will be underwater during periods of flood-type water levels,” the proposal states. “With Lake Michigan/Green Bay at near-historic high levels, the roadways have seen frequent flooding.”
Ayres will analyze each site to determine possible options for flood mitigation, according to the firm’s proposal, “to determine what the problem is, how much flooding there is, and what extent to go with improvements.”
“For instance, raising a road 2 feet might take it out of the floodplain completely, but it might not be feasible due to resulting negative effects to drainage or grading,” the Ayres proposal states.
Once finalized, the firm will present the study and alternatives for flood mitigation to the board.
Kaker said the study should be completed by this fall.