Kent city leaders aren’t holding back as talks heat up with King County and other stakeholders about the best design to repair the Lower Russell Road levee along the Green River.

The City Council approved a $225,000 contract with Seattle-based consultant MacLeod Reckord on Nov. 15 to represent the city’s interests in the estimated $43 million project as the King County Flood Control District works to find the best way to fix the levee.

City officials are concerned about proposals for a setback levee further than required in order to create new fish habitat that reaches into the city’s Green River Natural Resources Area. The city owns most of the property along the levee. City staff wants the consultant to keep an close eye on the relocation of the 10-acre Van Doren’s Park, which is expected to be moved as a portion of it sits right along the river’s edge where plans call for the setback levee. It is considered one of the city’s most valued parks.

”It’s a very large project that is under design now to significantly change landscape along the river to improve flood control, habitat and recreation,” said Hope Gibson, city park planner in a Nov. 7 report to the council’s Public Works Committee.

Because of the complexity of the project, Gibson said parks and public works staff agreed it would be best to hire a consultant. The levee stretches along the east side of the river from about South 212th Street to South 228th Street, a distance of approximately 1.4 miles.

“With the size of the project, there’s a lot of meetings involved with professional expertise in flood control and habitat represented, but what is not well represented is the public access portion of the project,” Gibson said. “This contract provides that expertise.”

The $225,000 is expected to cover consultant costs over the next three years. The city will pay for the consultant from its storm drainage fund, which receives monthly fees from single-family residents, multi-family housing and commercial establishments.

King County officials hope to finalize a project design in 2017, start construction in 2018 and complete the levee in 2019. The design is between 30 and 60 percent complete.

The flood control district will pay for the project. The district is funded by a county property tax of 13 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. About half of the funds have been raised for the levee fix, with grants and other sources still being sought.

“I agree with the need,” said Councilwoman Dana Ralph at the Public Works meeting about hiring a consultant. “We have a lot at stake and we need to have our voice heard.”

Mayor Suzette Cooke had proposed hiring a city employee to focus on the Lower Russell Road levee project. But Tim LaPorte, city public works director, said it turned out to be too difficult to find one person with the experience and expertise to handle such a position.

The Lower Russell Road and other city levee projects are aimed to have the entire levee system within city limits accredited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to remove properties behind the levee from FEMA flood maps to reduce development restrictions and flood insurance requirements in the Kent Valley.