TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Michael Gibson, Interim Assistant City Manager
FROM: Sheila Thomas-Ambat, Public Services Director
DATE: August 10, 2026
RE:Title
Authorization to Execute a Professional Service Contract for the Design of College Lakes Dam Improvements
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
1
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 1: Safe and Secure Community
Goal 3: High-Quality Built Environment
Goal 4: Desirable Place to Live, Work, and Recreate
Executive Summary:
Council is requested to authorize the execution of a $1,658,000 professional services contract for the design of the College Lake Dam Improvements.
This qualification-based selection of Schnabel Engineering South, PC utilizes the City's On-Call Professional Engineering Services for Dam-Related Projects.
Background:
College Lake Dam is a City maintained dam that is currently in a breached condition, with the original spillway having been modified to function as a culvert, thereby preventing the impoundment of water behind the structure. Following damage sustained during Hurricane Florence in 2018, repairs were recommended to address the immediate deficiencies. The Post-Hurricane Florence Dam Assessments Memorandum (2018) identified two long-term alternatives for the City's consideration:
1. Fully breach or remove the dam. This alternative would eliminate the operational costs and risks associated with maintaining the dam but would require downstream mitigation improvements to address the resulting hydraulic impacts.
2. Redesign and reconstruct the dam. This alternative would require construction of a spillway configuration that complies with North Carolina Dam Safety regulations, including the ability to safely pass the one-third Probable Maximum Precipitation (1/3 PMP) design storm.
Subsequent hydraulic and watershed analyses were completed as part of the Carvers Creek Watershed Study. The study findings were presented...
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