Logan City throws its support behind canal reconstruction

After a long discussion and a lot of input from JUB Engineers and Logan City Public Works Director Mark Nielsen, the Logan Municipal Council Tuesday night threw its support behind the controversial Logan-Hyde Park-Smithfield Canal Restoration Project.

That support came after Nielsen and Zan Murray of JUB Engineers fielded a series of questions about the process. The council also asked that residents impacted by the project be informed about what’s going on at every stage.

“This construction is projected to start the first part of October,” Nielsen told the council. “So if we had residents who want to provide that input JUB would be glad to sit down with their landscape architect and talk about those views.

“We would be glad if there were four or five residents that wanted to provide that input for everybody that’s another option but we would work with those if we could get that done in the next week.”

Dennis Hassan agreed to be one of those participating residents.

A concern was raised about how this new landscaping would be taken care of and watered.

“With the canal being put into a pipe there’s trees that will be at risk and those type of things,” Nielsen acknowledged.

He said the city is looking at several irrigation options.

“That type of an irrigation system would be maintained and put in by the city. There are options for that that could be looked at, whether that’s an assessment district or other things,” Nielsen explained. “But generally our plan right now is that would use our city water shares whether they’re out of the storm water channel, a water feature or out of the pipe.”

No public comment was taken but many of those attending said they felt somewhat better about the project after the discussion.

The next meeting involving the canal will be Wednesday, September 12 at 5:30 p.m. where Logan City’s planning commission will be discussing the canal’s design. All neighbors and others interested are invited to attend.

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