SUCCESS!!!
We had great success cleaning up section 1 of Lilly Creek.
A big THANK YOU to Kim and Thelma for organizing this effort!!! Your work in the community is greatly appreciated!
All the trash has been removed and debris blocking up the creek has been moved to the sides of the creek to protect the bank. The stagnant sections of the creek are now flowing and this will help resolve mosquito issues.
As always, no matter how much work you do, you can always do more, but we accomplished more than I expected, especially in one day.
Special thanks to the creek residents, Jerry and Linda King for the good food and drink. Jerry also worked in the creek lifting rocks bigger than he should be lifting.
Special thanks for coming out and helping...
Mayor Flaute
City Council - Ken Curp, Mike Denning, Steve Fullencamp
section 1 residents - Marc, Jason, Zack and Eddie
section 2 residents - Devlin and Paul
section 3 residents - Sally and Sally's grandson
Special thanks to Shirley Reynolds for her support.
Special thanks also to Pasture Hume who helped with the creek cleanup.
In the future, we will be looking for volunteers to work on section 3. Section 3 is not all that bad...
Lilly Creek Cleanup
Description
We are looking for volunteers for the Lilly Creek section 1 cleanup. This section of creek is 550 feet long and is surrounded by 11 homes. The purpose of the cleanup is to remove trash, 'other naturally occuring debris, and brush from the creek and creek banks while building community spirit, in a teamwork environment to show support of Lilly Creek residents. Large heavy debris will not be removed, just noted.
Lunch:
On Saturday only, June 23rd Jerry and Linda King will supply hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks for volunteers at 12:30 PM (address provided below). This is why we need to know in advance just how many are going to volunteer for the 1st day cleanup which is to have enough food on-hand to grill out.
When:
The cleanup event will take place June 23rd. and June 24th at 10:00AM to ??? If you would like to aid with prelimary work such as calling for new volunteers or help with the getting the access point opened up, let us know right away. Other sections beyond the initial cleanup of section one MAY OR MAY NOT OCCUR in 2012 or later. It is all dependent upon having enough volunteers being able to volunteer for subsequent cleanups in the remaining sections of Lily Creek as it pertains to the area of Lily Creek in Riverside, Ohio ONLY.
Where:
Meet at Lilly Creek at Jerry King's home at 5842 Barrett Dr at 10 am, Saturday and Sunday June 23rd and 24th.
NOTE: Port-O-Lets are available for use in Shellabarger Park which is approximately 200 feet away from the initial creek access point.
What to bring:
Boots to work in.
Gloves
Safety Glasses
Pruners
We will prvide 2 Person half barrel sized buckets for removing debris.
Contacts:
Shaun Doerner
mailto:[email protected]
Kim Howell
937-732-4453
Jerry King
C: 689-1345 or 937-689-1345
We thank you for your interest and are very hopeful you will join us! Please commit to helping by calling Mr. Kim Howell or Mr. Jerry King right away!
Lilly Creek drainage system scrapped
The City of Riverside has scrapped plans for a new drainage system along the Mad River. It was a full house at Thursday night's public hearing about the plan. It would have meant about 1,600 homeowners would see a tax increase. The Montgomery County Soil and Conservation District Board decided that the lack of public support and the cost of the project was too much to continue on with the Lilly Creek Drainage Project. The board wanted to stop the erosion along Lilly Creek. District administrators fear the erosion will pose a threat to the homeowners' properties. "We could have cut down on sedimentation into the Mad River through the project," said Jim Dillon, the Conservation District Administrator. "We could have also prevented stream bank erosion by slowing down the flow of water through the creek. We are not dealing with structural problems at this point, however. I could not say a number of houses were being threatened with damage and therefore could not include that in my benefit calculation." According to Dillon, The Lilly Creek Drainage Project would have cost $1,800,000. The benefit would have only generated a savings of $298,610. |
Lilly Creek erosion project voted downRepairs still needed, but plan’s cost outweighed benefits, officials say.By Marc Katz,
Staff Writer 10:45 PM Thursday, December 15, 2011 RIVERSIDE The Montgomery Soil and Water Conservation District declined to proceed with a three-phase plan that could have cost $1.8 million in the first phase and stopped erosion affecting residents in the Lilly Creek Watershed. James Dillon of the MSWCD told about 300 residents at a meeting at Spinning Hills Elementary on Thursday night that the benefits of the plan were not enough to justify the repair costs. Dillon said the project also failed to meet other criteria, including approval by a majority of the residents in the watershed, deeming the repairs necessary and making sure the project improves the land. About 109 properties are affected by the erosion. Dillion said later that a solution still has to be found. “It has to be fixed,” Dillon said. “As the houses become damaged, the benefits will go up. The property damage at this point is not great enough, but it will be.” The affected homes are on Barrett and Bayside drives next to Shellabarger Park near Greene County. An earlier plan to repair the erosion would have taxed more than 1,600 property owners. More than half that number objected to the assessment. Earlier estimates had put the repair at $12 million, but Dillion said that cost was probably too high. “We think we can do it for a lot less,” Dillon said. The three-phase project rejected Thursday night was estimated to cost $1.8 million for the first phase, which included a retention pool. Phase three would have included Greene County. As the meeting ended, residents offered their ideas on how to stop the erosion. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or [email protected]. |
Click below for the PDF proposal for the Lilly Creek Project
/uploads/9/6/6/4/9664691/lillycreek_initiative.pdf
$1.8M price tag to fix creek may fall partly on residents
Residents will hear next step for project on Thursday night.
By Marc Katz, Staff Writer
11:13 AM Wednesday, December 14, 2011
RIVERSIDE — Neighbors who live within the footprint of the Lilly Creek Watershed — a 590-acre area that includes more than 1,660 properties in the city’s southern part — are divided over an estimated $1.8 million price tag to repair the creek that only cuts through 109 private yards.
For decades, the creek has operated as a private stormwater drainage system that collects surface water that begins east of Interstate 675 in Greene County, continues west through Montgomery County and empties into Mad River.
Property owners whose private lots were built along the creek have complained of worsening erosion problems, especially since some of their own repair efforts have failed.
In 2008, about 25 residents asked the city of Riverside to help correct their erosion problems. But a projected $12 million price was deemed too expensive and forced the city to consider alternatives.
Since 2009, the city has been working with both the Montgomery and Greene Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
The MSWCD’s five-member Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m., Thursday at Spinning Hills Middle School, 5001 Eastman Ave. They are expected to determine the next step to address Lilly Creek.
The MSWCD has proposed a three-phase solution.
But the first phase is proving to be controversial because it would assess about 1,660 property owners in the Lilly Creek watershed a fee to help defray the $1.8 million bill.
More than 90 percent of the property owners in the watershed would pay less than $100 annually for 15 years, according to an MSWCD report.
The first phase includes removing basketball and tennis courts and soccer fields at Shellabarger Park and building a 10-acre retention/detention pond, according to James Dillon, MSWCD’s administrator.
Originally, opponents said the 109 property owners whose lots are part of Lilly Creek should be responsible for financing the project, instead of the property owners who are neither near nor impacted by erosion.
Kim and Thelma Howell have been leading the local opposition, which has included door-to-door campaigning, a website and collecting signatures for a petition. While the Howells agree the 109 property owners need help, they disagree that taxing all property owners in the watershed is the best solution.
“We have formed a citizens group of people in the community willing to donate their time to clean out Lilly Creek,” Thelma Howell said. “We would have to get permission from the homeowners to go on their land, but we will do that.”
She said she will submit an alternative plan Thursday to the MSWCD’s board that would avoid property owners paying a new tax.
Doloris Ramsey, who was one of the original property owners to ask the city for help, said something needs to be done. She lives on Barrett Drive, two houses from Shellabarger Park, and the creek runs through her backyard and has caused significant erosion.
She said she and her husband have spent the last 12 years trying to repair the erosion, including building detention walls.
“Every time we had an idea and paid somebody to come in and take care of it, it did not last,” she said. “The force of water is really something.
“We put in a brick wall, and we filled it with rock to try to hold onto the soil that was there. Water came over the wall and the rocks started moving around and knocking down the wall. It was a mess. That’s when we went looking for help.”
The Howells said they have surveyed the Ramseys’ backyard and other homes and agree something needs to be done.
Dillon said the MSWCD’s board will need to consider four criteria before a plan can be accepted. He said the majority of the residents in the watershed most approve it; the repairs must be deemed necessary; the benefits must exceed the costs; and lastly the project must improve “the land and is helpful to the people,” he said. “If they don’t want it, then it doesn’t happen.”
State laws require residents in situations similar to Lilly Creek must pay for their own improvements.
Dillon said phase two could cost as much as $12 million and involves clearing debris and restoring Lilly Creek. The final phase would include building a retention or detention pond in western Greene County, where the creek begins.
Thelma Howell said she and other opponents do not want to scuttle the project and have pledged to find people to help clean up the creek and engineers to find a less costly solution.
Dillon said three things can happen at Thursday’s meeting: the board can approve to proceed with the project, reject the plan or postpone a final decision to a later date.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or [email protected].
11:13 AM Wednesday, December 14, 2011
RIVERSIDE — Neighbors who live within the footprint of the Lilly Creek Watershed — a 590-acre area that includes more than 1,660 properties in the city’s southern part — are divided over an estimated $1.8 million price tag to repair the creek that only cuts through 109 private yards.
For decades, the creek has operated as a private stormwater drainage system that collects surface water that begins east of Interstate 675 in Greene County, continues west through Montgomery County and empties into Mad River.
Property owners whose private lots were built along the creek have complained of worsening erosion problems, especially since some of their own repair efforts have failed.
In 2008, about 25 residents asked the city of Riverside to help correct their erosion problems. But a projected $12 million price was deemed too expensive and forced the city to consider alternatives.
Since 2009, the city has been working with both the Montgomery and Greene Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
The MSWCD’s five-member Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m., Thursday at Spinning Hills Middle School, 5001 Eastman Ave. They are expected to determine the next step to address Lilly Creek.
The MSWCD has proposed a three-phase solution.
But the first phase is proving to be controversial because it would assess about 1,660 property owners in the Lilly Creek watershed a fee to help defray the $1.8 million bill.
More than 90 percent of the property owners in the watershed would pay less than $100 annually for 15 years, according to an MSWCD report.
The first phase includes removing basketball and tennis courts and soccer fields at Shellabarger Park and building a 10-acre retention/detention pond, according to James Dillon, MSWCD’s administrator.
Originally, opponents said the 109 property owners whose lots are part of Lilly Creek should be responsible for financing the project, instead of the property owners who are neither near nor impacted by erosion.
Kim and Thelma Howell have been leading the local opposition, which has included door-to-door campaigning, a website and collecting signatures for a petition. While the Howells agree the 109 property owners need help, they disagree that taxing all property owners in the watershed is the best solution.
“We have formed a citizens group of people in the community willing to donate their time to clean out Lilly Creek,” Thelma Howell said. “We would have to get permission from the homeowners to go on their land, but we will do that.”
She said she will submit an alternative plan Thursday to the MSWCD’s board that would avoid property owners paying a new tax.
Doloris Ramsey, who was one of the original property owners to ask the city for help, said something needs to be done. She lives on Barrett Drive, two houses from Shellabarger Park, and the creek runs through her backyard and has caused significant erosion.
She said she and her husband have spent the last 12 years trying to repair the erosion, including building detention walls.
“Every time we had an idea and paid somebody to come in and take care of it, it did not last,” she said. “The force of water is really something.
“We put in a brick wall, and we filled it with rock to try to hold onto the soil that was there. Water came over the wall and the rocks started moving around and knocking down the wall. It was a mess. That’s when we went looking for help.”
The Howells said they have surveyed the Ramseys’ backyard and other homes and agree something needs to be done.
Dillon said the MSWCD’s board will need to consider four criteria before a plan can be accepted. He said the majority of the residents in the watershed most approve it; the repairs must be deemed necessary; the benefits must exceed the costs; and lastly the project must improve “the land and is helpful to the people,” he said. “If they don’t want it, then it doesn’t happen.”
State laws require residents in situations similar to Lilly Creek must pay for their own improvements.
Dillon said phase two could cost as much as $12 million and involves clearing debris and restoring Lilly Creek. The final phase would include building a retention or detention pond in western Greene County, where the creek begins.
Thelma Howell said she and other opponents do not want to scuttle the project and have pledged to find people to help clean up the creek and engineers to find a less costly solution.
Dillon said three things can happen at Thursday’s meeting: the board can approve to proceed with the project, reject the plan or postpone a final decision to a later date.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or [email protected].
Lilly Creek Project Links...
Riverside Web Site
http://www.riverside.oh.us/riverside-city-council/
Riverside Lilly Creek Project Watershed map...
http://www.riverside.oh.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Lilly_Creek_Watershed-Elevation.jpg
EPA - Riverside water quality..
.http://www.bestplaces.net/health/city/ohio/riverside
Aquifers of Ohio...
http://www.ohiodnr.com/Portals/7/samp/sampuchydro.pdf
Riverside Council Contacts...
http://www.riverside.oh.us/riverside-city-council/
Cost - Addresses - 1st Assessment
http://www.riverside.oh.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Final-Lilly_Creek_Watershed-Assessments-November-2011-Full-Address.pdfedit?hl=en_US
Watershed Info
http://geospatial.osu.edu/conference/proceedings/workshops/browning_2.pdf
http://www.riverside.oh.us/riverside-city-council/
Riverside Lilly Creek Project Watershed map...
http://www.riverside.oh.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Lilly_Creek_Watershed-Elevation.jpg
EPA - Riverside water quality..
.http://www.bestplaces.net/health/city/ohio/riverside
Aquifers of Ohio...
http://www.ohiodnr.com/Portals/7/samp/sampuchydro.pdf
Riverside Council Contacts...
http://www.riverside.oh.us/riverside-city-council/
Cost - Addresses - 1st Assessment
http://www.riverside.oh.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Final-Lilly_Creek_Watershed-Assessments-November-2011-Full-Address.pdfedit?hl=en_US
Watershed Info
http://geospatial.osu.edu/conference/proceedings/workshops/browning_2.pdf
Contact Info for Lilly Creek Questions
Lilly Creek Improvement Project Information
In support of the Montgomery Soil & Water Conservation District’s Lilly Creek Improvement Project, the City of Riverside would like for those residents who live within the Lilly Creek watershed to have as much information available to them as possible. It is the City’s hope that in making such information available, residents will be able to make an informed decision on whether or not they should support or oppose the proposed Lilly Creek Improvement Project. To this end, the City is providing additional information about this project below. These two pieces of information represent the proposed assessments for all property owners located within the Lilly Creek watershed as well as an elevation map to demonstrate the high and low areas of the watershed. If, after viewing the information below, you have additional questions; please feel free to contact Stefan Bridenbaugh of the MSWCD (937-854-76460) or Bryan RH Chodkowski, Riverside City Manager. mailto:[email protected]
Click the link below to look up your address and find out just what you will be charged per year for this project.
http://www.riverside.oh.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Final-Lilly_Creek_Watershed-Assessments-November-2011-Full-Address.pdf
Who’ll pay for damage Lilly Creek causes?
Property owners want Greene County to pony up.
By Marc Katz, Staff Writer
8:48 PM Tuesday, December 6, 2011
RIVERSIDE — There is no dispute that Lilly Creek — which meanders through city neighborhoods and often overflows its banks during heavy rains — is eroding land, fences and threatening the stability of some detached garages to bordering homes.
City officials said the creek — an open-air storm drain located on private property — has to be fixed, and a plan is in place. But some Riverside property owners — about 1,600 — complain that they might be taxed to pay the estimated $1.8 million in potential repairs without any help from Greene County, where some of the overflow problems originate.
The question is, “who’s going to pay for it,” said James Dillon, administrator to the Montgomery Soil and Water Conservancy District. “That’s the controversy. According to state drainage laws, when there are improvements made to a watershed, the landowners pay for it.”
City officials estimate single-family homeowners could pay as little as a few cents to as much as a couple hundred dollars annually, though more than 90 percent will pay less than $100.
Since landowners might be stuck with the bill, Kim and Thelma Howell of 4808 Harlou Drive, who live on a hill near the creek that has had an overflow problem since the 1950s, are concerned of the financial impact. A preliminary report shows they would be assessed $185.14 annually.
“Some residents of Riverside... are finding themselves the subject of a proposed tax on their rainfall in the form of assessments to be added yearly onto their property tax bill,” Kim Howell said.
“We are not opposed to doing the right thing,” Thelma Howell said. “The thing we are opposed to is being taxed for what we don’t contribute to.”
That’s the rub, and Riverside City Manager Bryan Chodkowski said dealing with Greene County — or any other additional participant — “would create a significant delay,” causing some property owners to lose detached garages and even damage their homes.
Chodkowski said Greene County and other municipal or public entities could become part of the project at a future date.
All of this will be part of the discussion about Lilly Creek that will be at 7 p.m., Dec. 15, at Spinning Hills Middle School, 5001 Eastman Ave.
“I don’t think anyone will say there’s not a problem (with the creek overflowing),” said Dillon, who expects the initial project to cost $1.8 million with digging a ditch at the northern end of Shellabarger Park to help control water flow.
Stefan Bridenbaugh, the district’s project manager, said they will need to clean out the creek, which starts near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, snakes over the Greene County line into Montgomery County, flows along the northern edge of Shellabarger Park and spills into Mad River.
“There are multiple sides to this story,” said Chodkowski, who said Greene County residents eventually could be tapped to help pay for the improvements. “This problem has been on-going forever and ever and ever.
“Back in the township days, people did what they had to do. There was a lot of consideration given to surface water management. ‘Get the water off my property.’ ”
Chodkowski said a developer of area homes said he was going to make sure the creek never overflowed, but he eventually went bankrupt, and Montgomery County and the township never completed the creek project.
“There sat all these private property owners with this open ditch draining through their back yards,” Chodkowski said.
Meanwhile, Riverside developed, Dayton developed and Beavercreek developed, with more and more water being dumped into the creek.
He said something was going to be done in the 1980s, then the 1990s and then the early 2000s.
“It never was a good time,” Chodkowski said. “Then about 2009, it landed on my desk.
“Our issue is to try and expedite a solution for those property owners who are in trouble today. Those folks don’t have time to wait. This isn’t an issue where we’re going to ignore Greene County. Once we mitigate the problem, we can understand the scope of Green County’s (future) contributions.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or [email protected].
Lilly Creek Project
Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District (MSWCD) Board of Supervisors will be conducting an Information Meeting, and Hearing of the proposed Lilly Creek Group Drainage Project.
An Information Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday evening, December 1, 2011, at the Spinning Hills Middle School located at 5001 Eastman Ave., Dayton, Ohio to acquaint landowners with issues relating to project authority, accessibility, and funding. Thus, all interested parties to this project are invited to this meeting where MSWCD project protocol, easement requirements, and assessment methodology will be addressed.
The Hearing will be conducted by the Board of Supervisors of the MSWCD at 7:00p.m. on Thursday evening, December 15, 2011 at the Spinning Hills Middle School, located at 5001 Eastman Avenue, Dayton, Ohio. At the Hearing, the MSWCD shall hear a preliminary report on the proposed improvement and shall hear any evidence offered by any landowner for or against construction of the petitioned improvement. Landowners affected by this proposed conservation works of improvement may comment in support of or against its construction in writing by filing it with the MSWCD Administrator in advance of the hearing, or by offering testimony at the hearing. A silence will be understood as consent, all landowners are encouraged to voice their opinion regarding the construction of this group drainage project.