November 7, 2011
11/08/11 A special meeting of the Marshall County Drainage Board was conducted Monday morning at 8:30 in the meeting room of the County Building. Members discussed the deteriorating bank on the east side of the Yellow River between the Footbridge and the Suseland drainage pipe on the Garden Court property.
The steep bank area has been steadily eroding for the past several years. County Surveyor Larry Fisher said a residence on the property makes it impossible to work on a bank stabilization project from the east side of the river.
Several months ago R.W. Armstrong was hired to design several scenarios that would allow for the stabilization of the bank. One design calls for the demolition of the home and the slopping back of the river bank. The other two designs require working on the bank from the west side of the river and from a barge in the river.
Because the Drainage Board cannot own property there was a recommendation made to the County Commissioners to purchase the residential property if that scenario was the least expensive design to stabilize the bank. Although the Drainage Board cannot purchase property, there are funds available in the Yellow River Fund to do the project. Early estimates for the designs were from $189,000 up to $320,000.
County Attorney James Clevenger has talked with the homeowners who have expressed their interest in selling the property pending a suitable agreement.
On Monday the Commissioners decided to seek bids for the project with the alternatives of working on the project from the river or from the ease bank. Once the bids have been received and reviewed the Drainage Board will determine the best design for the band stabilization project and move forward on the work.