County to Receive $5 Million for Relinquishment

03/08/11 It was a full agenda for the Marshall County Commissioner’s meeting Monday morning.  There were a number of important items up for consideration with a couple of them bringing in $5 million to the County.

County Attorney Jim Clevenger presented the Memorandum of Understanding between INDOT and the County for the relinquishment of 2.89 miles of US 31 north and south of LaPaz.  The memorandum states that INDOT will remove the overpass at 3A Road and reconstruct a new roadway to connect Old Michigan Road and what will be Old U.S. 31.

Not only will the state revamp the 3A Road connection they will pay the County $4.2 million for 2.89 miles of roadway.  The County will become controller of the road and be require to conduct all maintenance including snow plowing.

The $4.2 million will be paid in three annual installments of $1.4 million beginning in September of 2014.

The Commissioners also approved a Memorandum of Understanding between INDOT and the County for the relinquishment of another 2.89 miles of roadway of Old US 31 north of Argos to the current US 31.   The memorandum has the state paying the county $800,000 within 30 days of acceptance of the memorandum.

The funds the county will receive for the relinquishment of the two portions of State Roadways will go into the County Highway Fund.

The County Commissioners also signed a consulting contract with USI for the construction inspection for the Pierce Street Bridge at a cost of $155,000.  An additional agreement was approved with USI for the 7^th Road project.  The supplemental consulting agreement with USI is for additional design services.  Included in the agreement are services such as preliminary design, topography surveys, locating structures in the right-of-way, field survey work, environmental services, water and wetland determination, a noise analysis, regulatory permits, drainage approval, the design of a bridge over a stream and input at any public hearings. The agreement is for work from Michigan Road east to Linden Road.

The Commissioners approved the agreement with the stipulation that the contract include USI’s attendance and updates on the project with MACOG.

Commissioner Kevin Overmyer noted that the County has an earmark from Congressman Donnelly in the amount of $635,000 for the project and funding from INDOT to help get the project completed.