Commissioners tonight (Monday) will discuss options for addressing a deteriorating retaining wall along the Boardman River in the 100-block alley of Front Street downtown. The wall has been rated as in “serious” condition, requiring both short-term emergency repairs and long-term solutions that could include removing the wall entirely and naturalizing the riverbank – significantly reducing alley parking.

The wall is one of several items on a busy agenda that also includes a closed session to discuss a potential airport agreement for tree maintenance at Oakwood Cemetery, an earlier start to commission meetings in 2027, and more.

River Wall
Commissioners will need to start deciding how to handle a deteriorating retaining wall along the Boardman River between Union and Cass streets, which has been the site of multiple sinkholes and recently required the city to relocate a sewer trunkline over fears of a potential failure.

The wall, which was built in 1931 and has been a known problem for years, has a 5 out of 9 or “fair” condition assessment for its above-water portion and a 3 out of 9 or “serious” rating for its underwater portion. The overall condition is thus considered “serious,” primarily due to “extensive scour and undermining beneath the wall, as well as deterioration and decay of the timber piles,” according to City Engineer Anne Pagno.

“The likelihood of a sudden or catastrophic failure under normal conditions is considered low, but possible, particularly during a major flooding event that could increase hydraulic loading, scour, or undermining of the wall,” Pagano wrote in a memo. The city is undertaking emergency repairs this fall at a cost of $252,000 to “to help protect the wall until permanent stabilization can be implemented, which is currently anticipated to be at least two years before construction would take place,” she said.

Repair work includes “placing flowable fill (lightweight concrete) behind the existing wall to reduce erosion and limit further undermining beneath the wall,” Pagano wrote. “The work this fall will also complete the sidewalk repair adjacent to Lot A and restore lighting and parking meters.” Phase two of work, slated for 2028 or 2029, would include install sheet piling in front of the wall to prevent further undermining, similar to what the city previously did in the 200-block alley. That work is expected to cost $1.1 million.

Fom there, commissioners could consider one of several long-term options. One is to preserve the existing wall, but Pagano said staff have determined that’s not feasible “due to structural deficiencies.” A second option would be to use a combination of sheet piling and a concrete cap to stabilize the wall. That approach, estimated at $927,282, would continue to restrict access to the river and could trigger state restrictions on how the city impacts water levels.

A third option would be to remove the wall entirely and naturalize the riverbank at an estimated cost of $1.8 million. That would provide maximum river access to the public but would have the highest cost and impact to the alley – turning it into a one-way, 12-foot alley with only nine parallel parking spaces, eliminating 68 perpendicular spaces.

Staff instead are recommending option four, a “hybrid” approach of sheet pile and bank naturalization. Estimated at $1.1 million, it would create a wider 16-foot one-way alley. The 68 perpendicular parking spaces would still be removed, with the nine parallel spaces created. The project could be combined with other river projects, including grant-funded Boardman habitat restoration work underway and TC Downtown Development Authority (DDA) plans to redesign the alley/J. Smith Walkway and replace the pedestrian bridge to the farmers market. Pagano said the bridge has “severe beam end corrosion” and should remain closed until it can be repaired or replaced.

Commissioners tonight are being asked to support proceeding with design work for the Phase 2 sheet piling work, which will be needed no matter which long-term option is chosen, Pagano said. Commission feedback is also sought on staff’s recommended hybrid option for the long-term design, especially “considering that naturalization of the river bank would require removal of parking spaces,” Pagano wrote.

Also on tonight’s agenda…
> Commissioners will go into closed session to discuss a potential agreement with Cherry Capital Airport tree maintenance at the city’s Oakwood Cemetery. As previously reported in The Ticker, airport leaders are hopeful that a new approach offering a million dollars to assist the city with forest management both in the cemetery and around the city can lead to a long-range agreement for tree management around TVC. It requires four affirmative votes from commissioners to go into closed session. No action is expected on the proposal tonight, according to city legal counsel Dan Kelly.

> Commissioners will consider several potential rule changes. Notably, the board will consider moving commission meeting times from 7pm to 6pm starting in January. City Manager Benjamin Marentette said in a memo the shift would “enhance transparency and remove scheduling barriers, thereby increasing overall access and participation.” The change could also provide an earlier end time to meetings. The commission has had several marathon meetings in recent months that have sometimes ended close to midnight. 

Other proposed rule changes would eliminate a reference to remote participation in meetings, create a consistent publication deadline for packets of Thursday prior to a meeting no later than 11:59pm, and update public comment time to three minutes throughout meetings. Reserved public comment, in which an individual or group can request dedicated time to address the commission, would be once per year with a time limit of 10 minutes.

> Commissioners will consider multiple board appointments, including reappointing Commissioner Ken Funk to the Brown Bridge Advisory Committee and Commissioner Heather Shaw to the Grand Traverse County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority as commission representatives. Commission names will also be drawn to serve on ad hoc committees that will interview local candidates for a variety of open board and committee seats, ranging from the DDA to the Board of Zoning Appeals to the planning and Parks and Recreation commissions.

> Prior to their 7pm meeting, commissioners will meet at 6pm for a study session – which will not be televised or recorded but will be open to the public – to discuss the commission’s shared agreements. Adopted by the board in May, the shared agreements are a set of values outlining how commissioners want to operate as a governing body and guiding how the commission “engages in discussion, makes decisions, and works together to serve the community.” Facilitators will help the board reflect on how the shared agreements have been working so far and whether any adjustments are needed.