Lone Star Club-CS 940520 MEMORANDUM
To: Jim Witt, City Manager
From: Kenneth M. Griffin, P.E., Assistant City Manager /City Engineer
RE: Lone Star Country Club
Date: May 20, 1994
On February 20, 1994, I spent time on the phone with representatives from the Denton office of FEMA
discussing development on the referenced property. In particular, I spoke with Don Ellison about what
could and could not be done. I questioned Mr. Ellison about the installation of fences in the
floodway /floodplain. I conveyed to him that the type of fence would be a break away fence. Mr. Ellison
stated that if an Engineer would certify that the fence would break away but not float away, then FEMA
would not have a problem with the installation of a fence in the floodplain.
I have reread and studied the various provisions in both ours and FEMA's ordinances and it is very clear that
arbitrary issuances of variances without technical data could cause the City to have its floodplain
administration reviewed by FEMA. If FEMA found problems, the City could be placed on probation. The
immediate impact would be that we would loose our 5% reduction in insurance rates that we obtained
through our Community Rating System program, plus each policy holder in Coppell would have to pay a
penalty. The City could also be placed on probation to allow us the opportunity to correct the violations.
Even beyond the issues of constructing buildings or fences on Mr. Robinson's property; changing footprints;
or 300 square foot verses 500 square foot; etc., the bigger issue is the City's philosophy on the
administration of the floodplain. Day in and day out the Engineering Department has to tell people in the
City no they can't put decks in the floodplain; no they can't put pools in the floodplain; no they can't put
fences in the floodplain; no they can't put gazebos in the floodplain; no they can't bring in dirt to fill in the
floodplain; etc. It would be very difficult to deal with the rest of the population of Coppell in regards to
floodplain administration if the City were to arbitrarily allow Mr. Robinson to construct within the floodway
and floodplain.
In summary:
1)If Mr. Robinson were to submit a letter from an Engineer stating that the break away fence would
not float away but only lay over during a storm, then I could support the installation of the
break away fence along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.
2)I can find nothing in our rules or the FEMA rules or other FEMA publications or conversations
with FEMA representatives that would allow me to arbitrarily approve a change in the footprint
of what was on Mr. Robinson's property. Therefore, I could not support any change in the
footprint on Mr. Robinson's property.
I hope the above information has been helpful and I will be more than happy to sit down and discuss this
memo with you at your convenience.
file/kgriffin/lonesta.mm