Canandaigua City Council approved design work Monday for two projects with longer-term implications for the city. Flood protection along Sucker Brook and a potential 5.5-acre addition to Lagoon Park. Council also set an October hearing on a St. John’s Court parking proposal after a member questioned whether the draft ordinance clearly described the intended change.
The Sucker Brook vote awards Colliers Engineering & Design a $33,400 contract for work near Ellis Place, between Chapin and Bristol streets. The project follows the damaging July 2023 storm and earlier studies of the brook’s bridges, channel and upland areas.
Council member Doug Merrill said the next phase focuses on a sharp bend in the brook. The contract covers a survey, hydraulic modeling, final design plans, construction inspections and drawings documenting the completed work. The engineering proposal says its plans are intended for city crews or similar workers to carry out the project.
The vote funds engineering services, not a separate construction contract. The proposed grading must also meet a federal “no-rise” requirement: The engineering model must show it would not increase floodwater elevations at the site or upstream or downstream during a 100-year flood event.
A possible addition to Lagoon Park
Council also approved an $18,400 contract with Steele Landscape Architecture to prepare a schematic plan for Parcel V, a 5.5-acre property next to Lagoon Park. The Canandaigua Area Development Corporation has expressed interest in donating the parcel to the city for parkland.
Council appropriated $20,000 from its Parks and Open Space Reserve Fund for the planning work. The plan is due by the end of the year and is intended to support both the proposed donation and future grant applications. The property has not yet been transferred to the city.
The designer will examine how to connect the parcel to Lagoon Park and estimate the cost of potential improvements. Its proposal calls for evaluating habitat restoration, pedestrian access, a small parking area and a public canoe and kayak launch. Those features remain ideas for the plan to assess, not approved construction projects.
Parking proposal heads to public hearing
Council set a public hearing for Oct. 26 on proposed changes to parking restrictions on St. John’s Court. During discussion, Council member Teale Fox said the draft appeared to close parking on both sides of the street, although the committee had discussed opening some spaces.
Goodwin said the intent is to remove the current weekday daytime restriction from part of one side while keeping areas near Howell Street and the dead end clear so drivers can pass and turn around. He agreed that notices sent to residents would include a map to make the proposed changes clearer.
Council tabled the ordinance pending the hearing. No parking change was enacted Monday.
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