Staff outlines Turkey Creek and Nevin McConnell dredging plan for Syracuse; seeks interagency support

Staff described plans to clean Turkey Creek and the Nevin McConnell through Syracuse to improve drainage for Syracuse Lake, saying the project would be logistically complex because much of the work is in urban areas and spoil will need to be hauled away.

Jim said multiple stakeholders have raised the same concern and that a coordinated plan and letters of support would help in the permitting process with state agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He noted an old box culvert installed decades ago has a floor set high and contributes to backups in the system; removing silt and designing a single plan for the entire reach would be preferable but will require detailed surveying, permits and cooperative funding discussions.

The board treated the presentation as informational and no action was taken; staff said further planning and permit steps are forthcoming and asked for letters of support when a cost estimate and schedule are available.