Mayor’s Update
7/31/2025
July 31 2025
I’d like to start by thanking everyone for coming to the meeting last night to discuss the
flooding problems in Skyline, it was good to hear input from so many residents. The
read I am getting is that the majority of people want a definitive fix, rather than a patch
here and there and hope that things work out.
A few points became clear as we discussed things. First, Line 1, which runs from the
tennis court to City Hall, was open and yet homes served by it still flooded. This would
suggest that the line is undercapacity and/or homes had inadequate drainage to the
line. Second, the fact that clearing Line 2 produced a dramatic effect in terms of
draining surface water and basements means that these lines are essential for
dewatering the areas they serve.
A committee has been formed to discuss different options to move forward. In the
meantime, given what I perceive as a desire for a definitive fix, I have already contacted
two design-build firms to propose plans for replacing and upsizing Lines 1 and 2 and
also to offer solutions for surface water drainage in the collective backyard areas. The
logic behind the latter is that the more surface water that can be removed means less
water that can penetrate to the basement level. An advantage of line replacement is that
an open trench will expose all of the home tie in points. This will give homeowners the
opportunity to replace their drain lines at their discretion and to install risers with access
ports so their lines can be cleaned out in the future.
I have also reached out to the League of Minnesota Cities to make sure there are no
restrictions on upsizing our drain lines, and have started the search for possible State
funds to apply to the project.
If construction proposals look reasonable, and with consent of the City Council, I will
open the project up to competitive bidding. Once a bid is accepted I will need to
present the project for funding in the municipal bond market. Current municipal bond
rates for 20 year bonds is 4.6-4.9% for AA rated bonds.
There are a number of things homeowners can do to help mitigate the risk of flooding.
Most of this is well known to you, so forgive me for pointing out the obvious.
- Have your footing drains and exit line cleaned out. I remember when ours was
punched through when we connected to city sewer may years ago-it was
completely filled with mud. - If not already installed, have gutters placed along the rooflines, with long exit
lines extending far from the house. - Slope yards away from the house
- Consider external waterproofing. This is expensive and involves trenching down
to the footings and waterproofing the walls with dimple mat or other water
conducting material draining to the footing drains, placing crushed rock or sand
against the walls, etc. There are a number of firms in the area which specialize
in this. In general , exterior water proofing is the best option as it preserves
basement masonry from water degradation. - Internal drainage to a sump pump.
- Make sure you have a back up sump pump and battery backup for your pumps.
Some people have two sump pumps in their sump pits to handle excess volume.
More to come, I will keep you posted.
Paige Attarian
Mayor