Dear Editor:
No mud in the ice arena! The solution:
1. A mile or so upstream from the Ice Arena place an 8- to 12-inch pipe in the Wears Creek streambed.
2. Cover the pipe with enough earth to create a 10-acre lake.
3. In normal time, water will flow though the pipe. With a deluge, the storm water will back up and fill the dry lake and not touch the Ice Arena! No! No! Nary a drop!
This solution would be much cheaper than moving the Ice Arena or channelization.
A 3.5-inch rain put mud in the ice arena last year. The state record for 24-hour rainfall is over 17.5 inches. It occurred in the K.C. Metro area in 1967 (Google it if you like). Lordy! Lordy! What would Jeff do with a 17.5 inches? Don't be complacent. You know a big rain is coming.
Footnote: A detailed engineering study could drastically alter these figures, but the concept is valid.
I am Mr. Preston, MPA, AIP, AICP, AICP Examiner, with a Master's Degree in Landscaping Design/City Planning. I prepared an eight-county regional recreation plan. I've received 11 "Excellence in Planning" awards covering all phases of city and county planning.
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