Butler City Council on Thursday awarded a contract to clean out Sullivan Run and agreed to look into a proposal from a businessman to build stormwater retention ponds on his property to alleviate flooding.

Council awarded a $19,500 contract to Bauer Excavating of Butler to remove sediment from the creek from New Castle Street to Miller Avenue. The city cleans out the concrete U channel in the creek every two or three years.

Bauer submitted the lowest of two bids for the project. The other bid was $23,600.

The cleanout is aimed at reducing the risk of flooding while the city waits for the state to approve a $4 million flood-control project for the stream.

The city, which secured $252,000 from the Butler County Infrastructure Bank to cover its share of the flood-control project cost, is waiting for the Department of General Services to approve the project.

The state Department of Environmental Protection submitted the construction plans, and the city submitted the rights of way and easements obtained to General Services.

Construction is expected to begin next year.

The project involves removing the Miller, Penn and Brady street bridges, replacing them with culverts and building a new section of concrete U channel in the creek.

George Aubrey, owner of Aubrey's Dubbs Dred Golf Course and Event Venue off Route 422 in Butler and Center townships, said rainwater runs off Route 422 and from nearby developments into a stream to Sullivan Run, which runs through the golf course and into the city.

“The stream that used to be 5 feet wide is now 10 feet wide, and it makes Sullivan Run 20 feet wide instead of the 8-foot creek it used to be. All the trees are falling into Sullivan Run and causing logjams,” Aubrey said.

“They (council) didn't realize all the water they're getting is coming from me. All the water I get comes from the north and west of me. It's out of my control.”

Stormwater runoff washed away bridges on the course two or three times over the last few years, he said, adding that he is eyeing residential development on property he owns adjoining the course.

He said he believes building a retention pond behind the 12th hole green and another one to the side of the 14th hole tee would slow the flow of stormwater and resolve the flooding.

Mayor Ben Smith agreed to meet with Aubrey to discuss the matter.

Aubrey said he met with county officials Friday and they agreed to arrange a meeting with officials from the city, Butler and Center townships and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to review the proposal. He said he has discussed his proposal with the DEP and he plans to present it to the Butler Township commissioners and the Center Township supervisors at their next meetings.

He said some compensation for building the ponds on his developable property would have to be worked out.