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Phoenix must redesign park Flood of 1997 means redrawn boundaries By WENDY SIPOREN PHOENIX -- Just minutes after approving $2,000 to launch an advertising and fund-raising campaign for a new city park, the City Council learned Tuesday that the 25-acre park along Bear Creek can't be built as presently designed. An engineering study commissioned by the city determined that the 1997 flood enlarged the floodway and the 100-year floodplain so that a portion of a parking lot, road and service yard for the park as well as the entire wetlands area now lie within the floodway. Local and federal rules prohibit construction in the creek's floodway -- even construction of a wetlands -- if it will make flooding worse for surrounding areas. A floodway is an area set aside to keep floodwaters from rising a foot higher than the 100-year floodplain. New engineering studies will be required to ensure the park doesn't make flooding worse in the future and to secure the necessary permits from a variety of state and federal agencies. The permit process will cause delays and add new costs to the project, City Planner Denis Murray told the council. "There's no question that they will support us," said Murray. "We just need them to tell us how to solve the problem." He said one option is to remove some areas of higher elevation from the area and actually shrink the floodway, making more room for the park. Construction of the wetlands and initial grading and utility work for the active section of the park was slated to begin this summer for an area between I-5 and Highway 99, just south of downtown. Plans call for a community center, an amphitheater, tennis and basketball courts and parking. The delay means the city will lose a $25,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Quality for the wetlands project because work affecting the creek must be completed by Sept. 15 to minimize harm to fish. The city may reapply for the grant. Despite the bad news, project planners remain optimistic. "It's very frustrating," said Murray. "(But) we have a project that is worth pursuing." "We've all been working on this project for five years. What's another year?" Parks Commission Chairman Darrell Paxson and members of Phoenix Forward are looking for volunteers to serve on a variety of committees that will advertise and raise funds for the park. "We need community support to realize the park," said Murray. "Without that support, it just won't happen." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA