Meeting on Westboro Park detention pond still on for Monday evening

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Though the Westboro Park detention pond project has been put on hold, a community meeting with city officials will still take place Monday evening at a Topeka church.

The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. Monday at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 3916 S.W. 17th St.

According to city officials, Monday evening’s meeting will be an opportunity for Westboro-area residents to talk with city officials to discuss the possibility of alternative solutions to resolve the initial nuisance flooding concerns, and to get the public’s feedback on whether there are any new options.

City leaders provided a statement regarding the project that had been proposed but that was pulled from action this past week.

“At this time, the City does not anticipate moving forward with the proposed detention pond project at Westboro Park,” the statement read. “The project was identified as a cost-effective way to help reduce recurring nuisance flooding downstream.

“However, based upon both the technical review and community feedback, the City believes it is appropriate to pause the project and reevaluate future stormwater improvement options for the area.

“The neighborhood meeting scheduled for Monday, August 10th, will still take place to present the proposed concepts and gather public feedback that will help inform any future planning.”

Neighborhood residents had spoken out against a detention pond being placed in Westboro Park, ostensibly to help with flood prevention.

However, neighborhood residents said the area of Westboro Park doesn’t have any issues with flooding.

Westboro neighborhood residents had rallied around the theme of “Save Our Park” before the city’s decision to pause the project.

Stay with wibw.com and 13 NEWS for more details as they become available.