BRENTWOOD, Mo. — City leaders keep an eye on the rain in Brentwood because so much of it ends up in Deer Creek -- and when the water pushes over the banks, it pools along the city's thoroughfare, Manchester Road.
"It has been a problem for as long as I can remember," Mayor David Dimmitt said. "Decades, we've had a problem with flooding."
Dimmitt points to a phrase from his predecessor: Brentwood has a pooling problem, he says -- not flooding.
So they hope to better control heavy rainfall with the $80 million Brentwood Bound project.
"We are in a financially very strong position, which allows us to take on the debt necessary to accomplish the goals of Brentwood down," Dimmitt said.
Residents approved a sales tax hike in the spring when they voted "yes" to Prop B.
Money raised will allow them to stabilize the banks of Deer Creek, add overflow areas that can collect runoff in high water and piggyback on a state project when they revamp Manchester.
"We're not just talking about 'what if' -- we actually have the funding in place to do it," Dimmitt said.
Brentwood Bound also creates more recreational space since the city's current trail system ends at Rogers Parkway at Manchester Rd. and Dorothy Ave.
Dimmitt says they want to connect to the larger Great Rivers Greenway, but that's not possible until they get the flooding under control.
"None of that we would do, obviously, if we weren't also going to address the flooding," Dimmitt said.
Dimmitt said the project benefits more than his constituents -- it helps anyone who uses this stretch of road in Brentwood.
The project's scheduled for completion in 2022.
Contact reporter Sara Machi on Facebook and Twitter.
OTHER LOCAL STORIES
