VANDERBURGH COUNTY

DRAINAGE BOARD

APRIL 1, 2008

The Vanderburgh County Drainage Board met in session this 1^st day of April, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. in room 301 of the Civic Center Complex with President Troy Tornatta presiding.

President Tornatta: Okay, let’s go. Good afternoon. We’re going to start the Tuesday, April 1, 2008 Drainage Board. It’s about fourteen minutes after five.

President Tornatta: I need a motion for approval of the minutes.

Commissioner Korb: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Tornatta: So ordered.

President Tornatta: We’re going to skip this first part, if that’s alright with you, Mr. Jeffers.

Bill Jeffers: Right. I have three drainage plans for your approval. You’ve probably seen the first set of plans. It is the Cross Pointe Boulevard extension drainage plan, where the County Commissioners contemplate building on the extension of Cross Pointe Boulevard through the TIF district, and the drainage for that new boulevard will discharge into Kelly Ditch, a regulated drain in Vanderburgh County, along the south side of Morgan Avenue, in front of Lowe’s. I believe it’s called Burkhardt Crossing commercial subdivision, out by the YMCA. Here’s a set of plans, but I know you’ve seen it. John Stoll has been working with you on that. The reason it comes to the Drainage Board is whenever an owner, in this case the County Commissioners, wants to construct or extend a drain, and the outlet of that drain is into a regulated drain, it is subject to the drainage statute, which requires that the owner, in this case, the Vanderburgh County Commissioners, file with the County Surveyor for permission to connect the new drain to the existing regulated drain. The owner shall file the request, along with plans and specifications, of the new drain to be constructed, and the County Surveyor must determine that the regulated drain, Kelly Ditch, in this case, is adequate to handle the additional flow of water. The County Surveyor has examined the plans that were prepared by Bernardin Lochmueller and Associates for the new drain and finds that Kelly Ditch, the regulated drain is adequate to handle the additional flow of water from the new drain, and recommends that the County Surveyors grant, or excuse me, recommends that the County Drainage Board grant approval for the connection to Kelly Ditch.

Commissioner Nix: So moved.

Commissioner Korb: Second.

President Tornatta: So ordered.

Bill Jeffers: The second project is Waterford Place Subdivision, Section Two. On your screens it is outlined in purple. It’s on the west side of Burkhardt Road, between Vogel and Columbia, oh, let’s see some landmarks would be Sonic restaurant, Los Bravos, Kruckemeyer and Cohn, etcetera. Back in here is the land that is going to be now developed with new commercial shops. I withdrew it from the agenda last meeting because of notification. All of the adjacent owners have now been notified. The County Surveyor has reviewed the plan and finds that it comports with the drainage code and recommends approval of the final drainage plan for Waterford Place Subdivision, Section Two.

Commissioner Nix: So moved.

Commissioner Korb: Second.

President Tornatta: So ordered.

Commissioner Korb: For those of you sitting in the audience, we kind of switched gears on you. We were originally starting as a County Commissioner meeting, of which I’m the President, and we still have some unfinished business there opening up some bids that our County Attorney is doing. So, we went to a second department meeting, which is the Drainage Board, which Mr. Jeffers is the head of that department, but Commissioner Tornatta’s the President. So, in case you’re trying to figure out how that transitioned, that’s how and why that worked. So, just kind of sometimes it’s easier to know what’s going on, if you know what’s going on.

Bill Jeffers: Okay, I placed on your desk another drainage plan for the Grand Traverse Pie Company. A new restaurant to be built at the location of the existing Old National Bank building, which is in the process of being demolished this week, on lot six of Waterford Place Subdivision at the corner of Vogel Road and Burkhardt Road. The new Old National Bank building has been constructed and is occupied, just north of Sam’s Wholesale down here on, this photograph is three years old, so, you don’t see it, but it’s in this lot right here across from Sonic. Okay? So, Old National has occupied their new bank building, the old bank building is being torn down, and Grand Traverse Pie Company will build a restaurant on that lot. They’re converting the existing drainage facilities into underground storage facilities so that they have sufficient parking for a restaurant. The County Surveyor has reviewed the drainage plan, finds it comports with the drainage ordinance, and recommends approval of the revised storm drainage plan for lot six, Waterford Place, Grand Traverse Pie Company.

Commissioner Nix: And, excuse me just a second, when you say revised, it was revised from the original construction design when ONB was put there to this new design? The reason it’s coming back in front of us?

Bill Jeffers: Yes, sir.

Commissioner Nix: Okay, thank you.

Commissioner Korb: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Tornatta: So ordered.

Bill Jeffers: I have no ditch claims from ditch contractors this month. We’ve pretty much wound up and paid everyone for 2007. When we let the bids at the next Drainage Board meeting, we’ll start our new contracts for 2008. So, right now we’re in between and everybody’s paid.

Commissioner Tornatta: Let me have a motion to open the bids for the annual drainage ditch maintenance, if I could.

Commissioner Nix: So moved.

Commissioner Korb: Second.

President Tornatta: So ordered.

Bill Jeffers: You don’t want to go back to your Commissioners meeting? Because the only other item of business I have, at this time, other than those bids being opened is the continuation of the Conway-Dennis-Wazny petition hearing. Were you ready to do your, finish up your Commissioners business now?

Commissioner Korb: Yes.

President Tornatta: Okay, we need a motion for recess of the Drainage Board.

Commissioner Korb: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Tornatta: So ordered.

(The Drainage Board meeting was recessed at 5:20 p.m.)

(The meeting was re-opened at 5:22 p.m.)

President Tornatta: Okay, we’re going to re-open the Drainage Board. The hopscotch of government. Okay.

Bill Jeffers: Do any of the students need their things signed? Is everything okay back here?

President Tornatta: Alright.

Bill Jeffers: Okay. Sometimes some of the teachers require that they have their agenda signed. Okay, are we back in Drainage Board yet?

President Tornatta: Yes.

Bill Jeffers: Several meetings ago, a month or so ago you had the hearing of the Conway-Dennis-Wazny petition to the Drainage Board asking them to order the removal of an obstruction behind their properties, that they allege exist on the property of Tim Harris, and causes, and the removal of which would cause better drainage of the petitioners property. I believe we’ve seen the pictures, had a discussion, recessed that hearing for the purpose of obtaining an estimate for the cost of the removal, and then present that estimate to the petitioners and ask them for their feeling about whether that estimate was appropriate and within the means, or, you know, within reason. I visited the site with Allen Rellecke, a licensed contractor for excavation in Vanderburgh County, and he gave me an estimate of $1,850 for the removal of the obstruction and the restoration of the open drain. Basically, consisting of removing some trees, some brush, some accumulated sediment, chipping the trees, or removing them wholesale as firewood from the property or logs, whatever, running the small branches and brush through a chipper and removing that from the properties, and disposing of it properly, and then using a backhoe to excavate the accumulated sediment and restoring the open channel. He proposes to waste the excavated dirt into low areas and eroded areas within the project site, rather than cart it off. That’s one way he lowered the price. I would hope that that spoil would not have any vegetated debris in it, it would be mostly dirt. I will see to it that that’s the case when we’re on the job site, if it goes forward. Then he proposes to construct somewhat of a berm on the south side of this new channel to prevent any water hopping over onto the petitioner’s land, so that it all stays within the channel, and to use seven foot wide, approximately 100-120 foot long roll of erosion control fabric to line the new channel and seed it until the grass is restored. I called each of the petitioners and presented that to them, and they indicated that that seemed reasonable to them, although I would prefer that they voice that to you personally. Ms. Wazny has missed three meetings in a row of a club that she’s a member of to come down here for the hearing, or to anticipate a hearing. It’s a monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of each month, and she said she really wanted to go to that meeting, a social meeting. She indicated to me that she was good with that, so long as her cost did not exceed 25 percent of $1,850, or a maximum of $500, for her share. I believe the other petitioners are here and can tell you their feelings. Mr. Harris is here, and he indicated to me Thursday that he would like to still have a chance to talk with his landscaper or his contractor. I asked him to have any estimate from his landscaper or contractor available today. He’s here in the audience and can respond to that.

Commissioner Korb: Mr. Jeffers, on yours, with your contractor, or our contractor, does that include leaving the largest majority of the patch of trees that was there?

Bill Jeffers: Several will have to come out.

Commissioner Korb: But, not all of them?

Bill Jeffers: The ones in alignment with the ditch will have to come out, yes, sir.

Commissioner Korb: Right.

Bill Jeffers: There probably are some that will not have to come out, but their roots may be damaged by the excavation of the ditch. I can’t guarantee that they will live. Anytime you take out “x” amount of root, you’re going to lose the tree within the next year or two.

Commissioner Korb: Right.

Bill Jeffers: So, let’s say, 25 to 50 percent of the root is excavated, even though the tree is still standing, it may die. So, I’m not guaranteeing the life of any of the trees that are close to the ditch.

Commissioner Korb: What’s going to be the width of this ditch?

Bill Jeffers: Approximately seven to nine feet wide. No, in other words, the ditch will always be at least one foot deep.

Commissioner Korb: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: With three to one side slopes, that makes the minimum ditch seven feet wide.

Commissioner Korb: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: If it gets a foot and a half deep, you’re talking ten feet wide.

Commissioner Korb: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: Nine and a half for the side slopes and one foot width on the bottom.

Commissioner Korb: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: So, seven to ten feet wide.

Commissioner Korb: Okay. Great.

President Tornatta: Alright. Do we want to hear from the petitioners first?

Gerald Dennis: Good evening. Gerald Dennis at 2740 Anthony Drive. I’m on the southern, or the eastern end of all the slope down. Very reasonable presentation. I think from my stand point, my wife and I’s stand point that it’s very agreeable. Just a couple of questions I had was if there are any unforeseen problems as they get into the excavation, how will that cost be relayed to the rest of us? And, there’s a utility box in there, I’m not for sure how that’s going to be handled, if that’s going to be disrupting any kind of utilities that we have? But, other than that, I think that’s pretty agreeable with us.

President Tornatta: Okay, and what we can do is have Mr. Jeffers go over with his excavator, and if he sees any issues we would bring that to you before we would go into the process. But, you’re okay with the split of the $1,850?

Gerald Dennis: Yeah.

President Tornatta: Okay.

Gerald Dennis: Thank you.

President Tornatta: Thank you.

Clark Conway: Good evening, gentlemen. Clark Conway, 2724 Anthony Drive. I also agree with the estimate that’s been brought forward by Mr. Jeffers. From the conversation I had with him the other day, it sounds fairly reasonable. From what I take he’s been in the business for a while and done some prior business with this gentleman. So, from what it sounds like, I’m good with the estimate.

President Tornatta: How did the water affect you over these past couple of weeks?

Clark Conway: Uh, like everywhere else in Evansville. It’s been wet, but the damage has been done more or less, you know. The drainage is, you know, sits in the yard until, you know, it flows through, and the ditch is what it is. So, I’m hoping the work can repair that so in the future, you know, we won’t have this issue.

President Tornatta: Okay. Thank you.

Clark Conway: Thank you.

President Tornatta: Anybody else from the petitioners side? Mr. Harris?

Tim Harris: His estimate was better than mine. I’m okay with it.

President Tornatta: Okay. Alright.

Commissioner Korb: I’m just dying to know, did you all ever wind up talking with each other?

Tim Harris: No.

Commissioner Korb: No? Okay.

President Tornatta: Alright. Okay, Mr. Jeffers, I feel that we’ve got a job well done, and everyone is at least satisfied with the number, which is a good thing.

Commissioner Korb: Do we need a motion?

President Tornatta: No. They’ve got their information between them.

Commissioner Korb: Okay.

President Tornatta: To the best of my knowledge.

Bill Jeffers: If you want me just to move ahead with Allen Rellecke doing the excavation, and presenting the bill to the individuals, split four ways, or presented to them at their residences, that’s fine with me.

President Tornatta: If you want to make that in the form of a motion, we can go that direction.

Commissioner Korb: So moved.

President Tornatta: Second and so ordered. That’s for $1,850 split four ways.

Bill Jeffers: Split four ways.

Commissioner Korb: Whoa, what about though the extra cost? That was a question, if there is any extra cost incurred?

Bill Jeffers: Sounds to me like Allen’s going to have to eat it.

Commissioner Korb: Okay.

President Tornatta: I don’t--

Bill Jeffers: I don’t anticipate, I don’t mean to put it that way.

President Tornatta: I understand.

Bill Jeffers: I queried Allen repeatedly at the site, what if we run into, you know, he said I will notify the call before you dig, Indiana underground–

President Tornatta: Right.

Bill Jeffers: –I’ll take care of that. I don’t see any problem. I said, you know, what if we run into something, he said, I don’t see any problem.

President Tornatta: Well, it’s not as drastic, because it’s a foot. You’re just digging a foot.

Bill Jeffers: We’re digging a shallow ditch–

President Tornatta: Right.

Bill Jeffers: –that will match what’s upstream–

President Tornatta: Right.

Bill Jeffers: –and match what’s downstream, and in between will be a blend of that.

President Tornatta: I don’t anticipate there will be much of a problem there. Okay.

Commissioner Korb: You all are free to go if you want to. There’s no need to stick around.

President Tornatta: Bids?

Tim Harris: One other question.

President Tornatta: If you could come up here, please.

Tim Harris: How are they going to get to the site?

Bill Jeffers: Oh, yeah, Tim’s question is how are they going to get to the site? Allen thought he could come through the end of Caesar Court, which is a little cul-de-sac that comes off Anthony Drive and go across Ms. Wazny’s back lot, which is a vacant lot. We also looked at coming in the, there’s a sewer pump station at the very eastern end of this project. It’s owned, the easement there is owned by the Water and Sewer Utility as a gravel road. We looked at that, if the ground is dry we could come in and go across the petitioners property from that direction. I thought that possibly Tim might want some of this dirt, if there, you know–

Tim Harris: They want to put it somewhere?

Bill Jeffers: If they need to put it somewhere and don’t have a place to put it on the petitioners eroded area, he has a camper at the end of his driveway, I meant to ask him if we could come in his driveway and cross his yard from that side.

Tim Harris: Yeah, the only thing I ask is that the ground dry out enough to do that, to where it doesn’t tear the yard up.

Bill Jeffers: Right.

President Tornatta: If you would have Mr. Rellecke just get with the lots they would cross.

Bill Jeffers: We will notify any lot owner before we cross their lot, and I hope that the ground will eventually dry out. We’re not going to do it under the current soil conditions.

President Tornatta: Okay.

Commissioner Korb: Great.

President Tornatta: Alright. Super.

Bill Jeffers: While we’re waiting for the bids, I suppose that I could say that President Tornatta asked me, during the recent flooding events, if there was some way we could do something to at least partially relieve the flooding of the north side. Now, much of that flooding, I’m looking for some figures, pardon me. Much of that flooding is inside the City of Evansville, you know, and we’re talking about Pigeon Creek flooding. A lot of the flooding was in Vanderburgh County, in your jurisdiction, particularly north of Lynch Road, Green River Road area, over towards the Burkhardt Road area. All the areas that, I wish I could find my notes. Anyway, we went out and did some high water investigation and shot the elevations of all the high water marks in your jurisdictional area, and those areas of concern like Voight Road where the National Guard went in and helped sandbag. The areas out on Green River Road north of Heckel where the National Guard sandbagged, and that type of thing. We found some pretty curious things. If I could find my, here they are, the good news is that this was not a 100 year flood. This was a foot or two short of the elevation you can anticipate during the 100 year flood. So, we didn’t have as much damage as could possibly be caused during a 100 year event. Of course, then there’s bad news that when we do have a 100 year event, it will be worse than what we experienced this month, in the month of March. I started down at the Marina, where the river gauge is, and the water at its highest point was 372.5 feet above sea level. The 100 year elevation is 376.3, or almost four feet higher than what it was in March. We then went to Weinbach Avenue on the outside of the levee, again the water was about, the river was at 373, and the base flood elevation for that spot, that’s in front of Mike’s Towing, would be 379, or six feet above what it was in March. We continued around on Green River Road, etcetera, to Lynch Road. At Good Shepherd parking lot on Burkhardt Road, north of the nursery there, Combs Landscape, there’s a large church parking lot that was flooded. That was flooded at 381.6, the base flood elevation is 384, or two and a half, almost two and a half feet higher. That was true all through that Hirsch Road area, that elevation. At the end of Peacock Lane we shot an elevation of high water at 381.7. FEMA tells us that the high water will get up to 384. So, 381.7 is 2.3 feet lower than what the potential. With the Spring Lake Apartments, on Spring Valley Road, it was 380.5, that’s just below Day School, to give you an idea, across from Schnuck’s, base flood elevation there is 383.5. So, we were exactly three feet below the 100 year elevation there. Oh, yeah, Morgan Avenue, in front of the old Romain Buick dealership at Theater Drive, in 1983 when INDOT said that they were going to build that new bridge there, we asked them to build the road level instead of going through the dip. That we estimated that the high water would be 382 during a 100 year event. They told us they had already designed that bridge and that they were going to build it the way they built it. For us to go on back to our office and take care of local business. In 1983 it flooded up to the guardrail, half way up the guardrail. Well, this time it did the same thing, 379.2, which is short of the 100 year event, but it closed that road for two or three days, didn’t it? Lynch Road I’ve always thought was an obstruction, because the upstream 100 year elevation set by FEMA is 384, and on the south side downstream side of Lynch Road it’s 383, a one foot step. But, when we shot the high water there, they were both 380.6, or just, you know, again, 2.4 feet below the 100 year elevation. However, when we went up to Elmridge, no, excuse me, 379.7. But, when we went to Elmridge, which there’s a house there that has been flooded several times since it was built in 1983, the elevation there is 382. You probably got, well, you saw that on t.v., Elmridge Drive, there was a couple of homes pumping water there. The water there was 380.6, and the base flood elevation is 382. So, anything built below 382 is going to flood. Apparently, some of those houses, the garages of two of them, and the finished floor living area of one of them is below base flood elevation, because at 380.6 they flooded this month. Voight Road, 381.05, the base flood elevation there is 385. So, anything that flooded in March at 381.05, is going to have another four feet of water in it if we ever have a 100 year flood.

Commissioner Korb: So, do you have any solutions to–

Bill Jeffers: I know I’m reading the bad news here.

Commissioner Korb: I mean, you can go down–

Bill Jeffers: Do I have any solutions? We could open up Pigeon Creek completely. Go down through there and take every tree out of the channel, remove every obstruction, and I still think we would have some degree of flooding when the river is high and you get an eight inch rain storm. Ten inch rain storm in Gibson County, eight inches in Warrick, and six to eight inches in Vanderburgh County. I still think you will have some degree of flooding. We could look at installing additional waterway openings under Lynch Road possibly, relieve some of that upstream of Lynch Road. If you wanted to initiate an engineering study on that, that might be a possibility. There’s obviously a one foot step in the flooding from the south side of Lynch Road to the north side. So, that’s a possibility that we could relieve some of that. You might have to go through some federal departments to get that done. My suggestion there would be to hire out an engineering study to look at that, if that’s your pleasure. Possibly there’s some federal or state money we could obtain to do some snagging and get some logjams out of Pigeon Creek, that might help a little, but I still think that when you have some of these monumental storms, you’re gonna still have flooding of houses that were built below the flood plain elevation.

President Tornatta: But, also as we talked, if the river is at an elevation that it’s pushing back water, you’re still going to have–

Bill Jeffers: You’re pretty much done.

President Tornatta: –you’re going to have water pushed back to a point to where it’s going to start to build up.

Bill Jeffers: Yes, you are.

President Tornatta: So, well, we’ll keep that, definitely keep that in mind, and appreciate you going the extra effort to get that.

Bill Jeffers: We’ll continue to look at things and bring those to you bit by bit. I was just using it as a filler today, because I think they have the bids open now.

President Tornatta: Alright, how about those bids?

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Alright, I’m going to read the bidder, and just say the name once and then I’ll read all of the various ditches on which that bidder bid, and then go to the next bidder. So, the first is RR Rexing Farms, for Pond Flat Lateral A, $743.54. For Pond Flat Lateral B, $391.58. For Pond Flat Lateral D, $641.06. The next bidder is John Maurer. For Baehl Ditch, $865.25; Hoefling Ditch, $557.10. The next bidder is Union Township Ditch Association. For Cypress Dale Maddox, $688.04; for Helfrich-Happe Ditch, $507.92; for Barnett Ditch, $243.84; for Edmond Ditch, $452.88; for Kamp Ditch, $446.40. The next bidder is Rexing Enterprises, Kamp Ditch, $446, no, excuse me, Kamp Ditch, no, Singer Ditch. Rexing Enterprises, only one bid, Singer Ditch, $367.50. The next bidder, Eldon Maasberg. For Kneer Ditch, $410.40; Maasberg Ditch, $220.60; Wallenmeyer Ditch, $1,253.25; and Baehl Ditch, $1,102.40. The next bidder is Big Creek Drainage Association. For Rexing Ditch, $2,051.52; Maidlow Ditch, $4,861.57; Barr Creek Ditch, $4,461.53; Buente Ditch, $4,039; Pond Flat Ditch, $2,948.16. The next bidder is Shideler Spray Service, for dormant spraying. For the Aiken Ditch, it’s $340, and the Eagle Slough Ditch, $5,407.20; Barnett Ditch, $260.13; Cypress Dale Maddox Ditch, $728.77; East Side Urban South ½ Ditch, $2,472.22; Edmond Ditch, $443.95; Henry Ditch, $346.51; Keil Ditch, $256.02; Sonntag Stevens Ditch, $586.92. For, let’s see, foliar spraying, on the, still by Shideler Spray Service, for foliar spraying on the Aiken Ditch, $842.43; on Eagle Slough, $4,776.36. Still Shideler Spray Service for broadleaf and brush spraying at East Side Urban North ½, $1,795.79, and for Keil Ditch, $256.02. For East Side Urban South ½, $2,472.22; for Kolb Ditch, $380.37; for Harper Ditch, $250.75; and for Sonntag Stevens Ditch, $586.92. Then, Shideler Spray Service–

President Tornatta: Ted, Ted, Ted, hold on one second.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: I’m sorry?

President Tornatta: We got, go under the broadleaf and brush for Shideler.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Yeah?

President Tornatta: And you’ve got East Side Urban North ½, you skipped like three there. You got Keil, Kolb and Sonntag Stevens.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Okay, I’m sorry. Alright, we’ll start up with broadleaf and brush, Eastside Urban North ½, $1,795.72; Keil Ditch is $256.02; then we’ve got some extra that are not on your sheet, and they are written in, so that’s what your problem is, I think.

President Tornatta: Oh, okay. Okay, okay.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Then, the next one is Eastside Urban South ½, $2,472.22. Then Kolb Ditch, $380.37. Another one not on your list is Harper Ditch, $250.75. Then, on your list, Sonntag Stevens, $586.92. Then, Shideler Spray Service for sterilization of ditch bottoms, Eastside Urban South ½, $1,677.15.

Commissioner Korb: It’s for bugs, you twit.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: For Harper–

Linda Freeman: He needs a drink.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: No, I’m fine. For Harper Ditch, I hope that’s on t.v., $221.25. For Kolb Ditch, $335.62. For Sonntag Stevens Ditch, $517.87. Now, the next bidder, Terry Johnson, for Aiken Ditch, $4,677; for Kolb Ditch, $1,831.83.

Linda Freeman: Once you get tickled, it’s hard to get un-tickled.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: It’s okay. We’ll be alright.

Bill Jeffers: Well, Ted, in our business we like those ditch bottoms sterile. If everybody’s–

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Come on, don’t get me going again. For Harper Ditch, $2,299.53; for Eastside Urban South ½, $1,130.27; for Sonntag Stevens Ditch for fall spraying, $8,344.55; and for Sonntag Stevens Ditch for spring spraying, $2,400.86. That also was not on your list. Now, here’s a whole list of them that aren’t on your list. Mark Naas, N-a-a-s, Kolb Ditch, $1,296.25; Stockfleth Ditch, $990; Eastside Urban South ½, $899; and Aiken Ditch, $3,900.

President Tornatta: That was wonderful.

Bill Jeffers: Thank you, Ted.

President Tornatta: Motion to take those under advisement now?

Commissioner Korb: Second.

Bill Jeffers: Okay, we’re going to bring those back to you–

President Tornatta: So ordered.

Bill Jeffers: –after we’ve examined them to make sure everything’s in order, make sure we have sufficient budget, etcetera, and we’ll be back on Tuesday, Linda will be back on Tuesday, April 15^th.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: We don’t have to read them all again then.

President Tornatta: What?

Bill Jeffers: Look, as long as those ditch bottoms are good and clean, we’re happy.

President Tornatta: Okay, and sterile. Okay, any other business?

Bill Jeffers: And, when they say sterile, what they’re doing is they’re spraying a herbicide on there that kills all the weeds in the bottom of the ditch. On the sides we’re just after the broadleaf and the brush and we leave the grass. In the bottom we don’t want anything, so that’s why it’s called sterile.

President Tornatta: Any other business?

Bill Jeffers: I don’t think I do have, oh, Jeff asked me something right when I was, I hadn’t quite made it to Millersburg Road, in front of Christian Fellowship Church with my elevations, but what I wanted to say there was that when we were out there two or three different times, the first time I went out there I saw a really nice car over in the ditch, I mean, off the road, and that’s a deep ditch there, and the passenger side window was open, and the drivers side window was full of water, and you could see that the person had to climb out of the ditch, climb out of the water to escape the rushing water. Okay? I hope there’s still people watching Channel 9 right now and aren’t all over at the stadium hearing, I’m surprised we weren’t pre-empted, but, we tell them over and over again, do not drive through moving water on these roads. There were barricades there. These little cars float, and when they float, the wheels are up off the pavement, and then they’re washed right over into this ditch. I’m surprised that person didn’t drown.

President Tornatta: Unless they have better tires.

Bill Jeffers: Unless they have better tires? And, I know where you get some, but, also–

President Tornatta: You set that up.

Bill Jeffers: –then, when I went back out there two days later, there was an SUV over there in the ditch. The other one had been hauled off, there was a brand new SUV over in that ditch. So, these cars, you might think you have a four wheel drive, etcetera, these people were over in that ditch and could have drowned. In the meantime, they lost two good cars. So, please don’t drive through this water.

President Tornatta: Saw you at road school. You went to the Surveyor’s conference–

Bill Jeffers: Yes.

President Tornatta: –anything that we need to know out of that conference?

Bill Jeffers: More regulation on its way. You know, every time I go up there, there’s people from DNR and FEMA, etcetera, more regulation on the way.

President Tornatta: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: I wish I could, and really, it’s all about local government, and I think we do a good job locally, the city units, the county units, Warrick County, whatever, but for some reason it just seems like more and more at the higher level they’re trying to pile it on us, but they don’t send any funds down here with their mandates.

Commissioner Korb: Right.

Bill Jeffers: I know that’s a litany and I’m preaching to the choir, but that’s all I learned up there.

President Tornatta: Alright.

Bill Jeffers: More regulation on the way.

Commissioner Korb: Motion to adjourn.

President Tornatta: Well, public comment? Anybody? Okay. Motion to adjourn, so moved.

(The meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m.)

Those in Attendance:

Troy Tornatta                            Jeff Korb                                   Bill Jeffers

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.          Madelyn Grayson                     Gerald Dennis

Clark Conway                           Tim Harris                                 Linda Freeman

Others Unidentified                   Members of Media

VANDERBURGH COUNTY

DRAINAGE BOARD

Troy Tornatta, President

Jeff Korb, Member

(Recorded and transcribed by Madelyn Grayson.)