VANDERBURGH COUNTY

DRAINAGE BOARD

JULY 18, 2006

The Vanderburgh County Drainage Board met in session this 18^th day of July, 2006 at 4:29 p.m. in room 301 of the Civic Center Complex with President Bill Nix presiding.

President Nix: I would like to call to order the Vanderburgh County Drainage Board meeting, July 18^th at 4:29. Mr. Jeffers? Good afternoon.

Bill Jeffers: Good afternoon. For those of you viewing at home, the County Surveyor serves as a technical advisor to the Drainage Board for reviewing drainage plans, recommending approval, maintenance and reconstruction of regulated drains, removal of drainage obstructions, and other drainage related items.

Bill Jeffers: We had a really strong storm system move through Southern Indiana last week, and Wednesday in particular was unsettling, I’m sure, for many residents of our county and Evansville. You really don’t expect that type of storm system to move through in mid July, when you normally would see hot, dry weather, a lot of construction activity, and maybe an occasional thundershower. However, it dumped quite a load of rain on us, and I hope today finds everybody safe and dry, but there are several drainage issues remaining unresolved for many property owners. We’ve received a lot of complaints in the last few days. If you are a land developer or a construction site operator, please have your construction site inspected, and bring it back into compliance with the new rules. At least generate a report on how you plan to replace the control measures that were overcome by the recent storms. The new rule requires an update analysis each time we have a significant rainfall, with specific practices needed to bring the site back into compliance. At least clean up the mud from the roadways, the dust, it might be dust today, clean up anything that may have washed on to your neighbors property. Mike Wathen, the Erosion Control Technician in the County Engineer’s office, is available to assist the developers with selecting appropriate control measures to make this plan work. He is currently making site visits as fast as he’s able to. There’s quite a few sites for him to visit. So, if you are a construction site operator, you should expect to see Mr. Wathen in the next few days. This whole drainage and erosion control program, whether through the County Surveyor or the County Engineer, is a consolidated effort, county-wide, and we are striving to make it fair and sensible for everyone involved. If anyone here or in the audience has any questions or comments regarding our program, you can call the County Surveyor’s office at 435-5210 and ask for Bill Jeffers. I’ll make sure your complaint, or your input is forwarded to the appropriate personnel, whether with the city or with the county, for follow up action. I know it was rough on a lot of people last week, and we’re here to do what we can, on behalf of the Vanderburgh County Drainage Board.

Bill Jeffers: The only drainage plan I have tonight for your approval is Steve Becker Number Two Subdivision. Out of respect for zoning, I didn’t bring my display. I have pictures, but you saw it last week.

Commissioner Musgrave: Oh, I remember that one.

Bill Jeffers: The map.

President Nix: You’re pretty low tech this week, Mr. Jeffers.

Bill Jeffers: You saw the aerial photograph last week, and I’m just handing you a copy of what I showed you last week. It’s the same drainage plan as you approved, preliminarily. It’s been to Area Plan Commission last Thursday. It was approved by Area Plan Commission. The only thing added at this time, is that we have confirmed that each of those lots will have to have it’s own erosion and sediment control plan, as the individual house is built, because each lot is over one acre in size. And, at that time, the erosion control plan will include a simple drainage plan to make sure it doesn’t have any negative impact on any of the neighboring properties. That complies with the ordinance, and, again, recommend approval of the final drainage plan.

President Nix: Just so that I’m clear on this, what percentage of these come through that don’t actually have a retention plan? It’s pretty minimal, isn’t it?

Bill Jeffers: Maybe one a year.

President Nix: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: A small subdivision of very large lots, where there’s no significant increase in runoff.

President Nix: And this would fall under that in your estimation?

Bill Jeffers: Yes, sir.

President Nix: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: Maybe one every year or two.

Commissioner Musgrave: Motion to accept the Surveyor’s recommendation.

Commissioner Shetler: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

Bill Jeffers: I’m asking at this time for the board to approve and sign a contract to study and evaluate Eagle Slough, a regulated drain in Vanderburgh County. The contract is with Bernardin Lochmueller and Associates for $50,300, plus an estimate of between $6,000 and $8,000 for water quality testing, as an alternative to be negotiated in 2007. The reason I’m doing that, we don’t know until they finish this study how many water testing sites that we would like to establish, to test the water that’s being pumped out of the city through the levee system, test it’s quality before we discharge it into the Ohio River. The basic purpose of the $50,300 study is to determine a good, long range plan for keeping the levee gates open. We have four levee gates, three of them are pump, and one of them is gravity, that are being obstructed by sediment, beaver dams, trash that floats in there from high water during Ohio River flooding and things like that. We want to establish a full time maintenance plan, because the Levee Authority has had some serious obstructions of their levee gates, and we would like to fix that once and for all. You have the contracts on your desk with your Recording Secretary, and I believe your attorney has reviewed the contract.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: I have, and they are satisfactory for execution.

Commissioner Musgrave: The funding is in place?

Bill Jeffers: We currently have, the May balance was $57,168.89. The end-of-year projected surplus will be $77,513.15, which is approximately $27,500 more than what I’m asking the contract for.

President Nix: Then this $6,000 to $8,000 would be used out of that also for water quality?

Bill Jeffers: It could be this year, but I’m really guessing that we won’t be settling on a fee until 2007. Then we’ll start water testing at that time.

Commissioner Musgrave: Okay, motion to approve the contract with BLA.

Commissioner Shetler: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

Bill Jeffers: Thank you.

Bill Jeffers: The last item is a clerical item. The County Commissioners passed an ordinance to test flexible pipe, and I have a copy that I would like signed just for our records in our office.

Commissioner Musgrave: Okay.

President Nix: Is this the mandrel?

Bill Jeffers: That’s the mandrel testing ordinance. We were looking through our records, and I did not have a signed copy of that ordinance.

Madelyn Grayson: Do you want me to just make a copy of the signed one? I should have that in my office.

Bill Jeffers: Okay, that’s fine.

Madelyn Grayson: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: We just need a signed copy for our records.

Madelyn Grayson: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: In case someone comes to our office and asks for a copy of it.

President Nix: Okay, anything else, Bill?

Bill Jeffers: That’s all I have today sure.

President Nix: Is there any comment from the public? Seeing none.

Commissioner Musgrave: Motion to adjourn.

Commissioner Shetler: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

Bill Jeffers: Thank you.

(The meeting was adjourned at 4:35 p.m.)

Those in Attendance:

Bill Nix                                      Cheryl Musgrave                      Tom Shetler, Jr.

Bill Jeffers                                 Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.          Madelyn Grayson

Others Unidentified                   Members of Media

VANDERBURGH COUNTY

DRAINAGE BOARD

Bill Nix, President

Cheryl A.W. Musgrave, Vice President

Tom Shetler, Jr., Member

(Recorded and transcribed by Madelyn Grayson.)