By Mari Radtke
The Drainage District 5 repair/cleanout project just will not go smoothly. What started in 2015 as a simple request to add or replace a pipe under a driveway, the project is still possibly in the crosshairs of closing snags.
The drainage district board, which happens to be the O’Brien County Supervisors, notified landowners in the district that hired Jacobsen-Westergaard had been hired to study the district to determine needed repairs. The study resulted in a huge and complicated endeavor that continues now.
Once the needs of the project were determined and justifications for annexation of land into the district finally moved the project forward. Delays and incomplete work was a source of significant discussion between the DD5 board and representatives of the Engineering office. Just as what appeared to be final settlements on the project were nearing approval by all parties, the floods of 2018 began, doing serious damage to swaths of DD5 and, in some cases private land. A new engineering firm was hired and plans to repair the damage began, a second round of flooding in 2019 added even more damage.
2020 proved to be a quiet year for DD5 and repairs progressed well. FEMA issues seemed resolved and now the district faces completion deadlines to received FEMA funding. Setting a public hearing date for completion, a required procedure to secure federal assistance was scheduled for Tuesday June 8 at the Board of Supervisors meeting. The public hearing was set for July 13, 2021 at 10:00am.
In attendance was Larry Hennings. Hennings is a landowner on DD5. Hennings reported to the board that damage to his property he believes was done in the original repairs and never completed by the first contractor remain. Hennings is taking the position that project is not complete until his reported damage is fixed.
Hennings said to the board, “You screwed up that ditch big time. Now we have the Mississippi instead of the Waterman Creek.” He went on to outline his view. The first engineer made a mess and got off scott free. He asked if anyone looks at the ditch. Sherri Bootsma said that she drives it regularly and noted that it is not yet certified as complete.
Hennings has 2 primary concerns. The first is that a culvert and berm piles along the Waterman Creek, aka DD5, at his property was never removed or leveled as he had requested. The culvert restricts water flow causing flooding behind it. It’s CRP land and will flood with a big rain. He is concerned about the contamination the flooding may cause. His second concern is that he believes in the original cleanout a marked well was driven over and broken. The well is open and is full of corn stalks and debris. Bootsma, who has taken a leadership role the DD5 project said she would speak with the engineer and take a look at the damage claims.
A resignation letter came to the board from Darwin Dau. He resigned from the O’Brien County Conservation Board effective June 2, 2021. Darwin had served on the board since 1998. His current term was set to expire on June 30, 2021.
Dau’s opening paragraph stated his decision was based on the selection of Tom Konz to the Conservation Board. Dau outlined what his believed to be how board members were put on the Conservation Board and he expressed frustration about why it was not followed. And Dau leveled accusations about the effect of Konz’s past activities onto the Conservation Board. The letter was not read in open session. It was released by request to “KIWA,” a Sheldon radio station, who provided it to “O’Brien County’s Bell-Times-Courier” last week. His resignation was accepted. The supervisors held a brief discussion about whether to fill the position right away or wait until a new board member can be seated on July 1, which is what the board chose to do. The supervisors also discussed selection procedure with Bootsma asking that she have all the nominees presented so that she, too, can speak with proposed board members. A back and forth between Bootsma and Dennis Vanden Hull revealed some disagreement in selection process. Bootsma said typically, the conservation board selects names and presents them to the supervisors for approval (or not). Vanden Hull pushed back on that procedure asking, “Isn’t that like appointing your own board?”
Because the issue of a selection procedure was not specified on the agenda and the conversation was becoming a little strained, Board Chair Nancy McDowell interrupted any further discussion of a procedure for selection.
Scott Rinehart, Count Engineer presented several construction permit requests for approval which were granted.