VANDERBURGH COUNTY

DRAINAGE BOARD

MARCH 20, 2007

The Vanderburgh County Drainage Board met in session this 20^th day of March, 2007 at 3:45 p.m. in room 301 of the Civic Center Complex with President Bill Nix presiding.

President Nix: Good afternoon. I would like to call to order the Vanderburgh County Drainage Board, Tuesday, March 20, excuse me, Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 3:45.

President Nix: I will entertain a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

Commissioner Musgrave: So moved.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Nix: Mr. Jeffers, good afternoon, sir.

Bill Jeffers: Good afternoon, Commissioner Nix, and other Commissioners, staff. We just have one drainage plan today, which is Tim Major Mini Storage. It’s an expansion of the existing mini storage. You can see on the aerial photograph, on the left is the existing mini storage, and then there’s a rock parking lot with some RV’s in it there. Okay, he’s going to expand that over into this square area that looks like grass. That’s all going to be pavement, with two more buildings, and a paved parking lot in between the buildings for the RV’s. Okay, we allow detention in a parking lot, so long as it’s not deeper than six inches. He’s going to detain in that parking lot, and then it will discharge into the lake, which is the dark rectangle with the boat dock. All of the water will go to that lake, and then it goes out to Pollack Avenue through a 12 inch pipe. So, the existing drainage system is in place. Basically, what we’re doing is causing him to hold all his water from going onto the residences to the south. I can’t think of if that’s Caze Avenue, or, I can’t remember right now. But, anyway, that street to the south, those residences will be protected against any additional storm water. It will all end up in that lake. So, I’ve reviewed the plan and recommend approval of–

Brenda Jeffers: Earl.

Bill Jeffers: Earl Avenue. I recommend approval of Tim Major Mini Storage expansion.

President Nix: Questions or concerns from the board?

Commissioner Musgrave: Motion to accept the recommendation of the Surveyor.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

Bill Jeffers: Okay we had some correspondence I sent to Ms. Simpson of DNR. They are having a hearing next Monday. I sent you all an e-mail on that hearing they’re having over at the Browning Room regarding three bridges for the rail line expansion you were talking about in your earlier meeting. It goes over Pond Flat Main, Pond Flat D, and Rexing Creek. They’re proposing just to extend the existing abutments and plop down their new rail line on top of it. All three of those waterway openings are currently undersized, and we have a study to show that the main one, on Pond Flat Main, constitutes an obstruction that causes flooding of farm fields, and backs water up to Highway 41, and possibly on back up towards Peck Road and, is that, Baseline? Yeah, Baseline and Peck there’s some flooding up in there. So far our study basically shows that it raises the elevation of the flood water about a foot. So, we’re pushing for those waterway openings to be enlarged when they build their new bridges, for them to expand them. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to do it or not. The railroad doesn’t, or generally is able to show that if they’re not raising the flood greater than it is today, they generally get by with it. However, as you know, you’re spending several million dollars to raise a bridge over Pigeon Creek–

Commissioner Musgrave: Right.

Bill Jeffers: –12 feet.

Commissioner Musgrave: Are you going to have somebody at that meeting, even though (Inaudible)?

Bill Jeffers: I could have one of the Chief Deputies at that meeting, if you would like.

Commissioner Musgrave: I would, because it seems like we’re going to have to apply some pressure for this.

Bill Jeffers: But, I have, as, you know, you’ve got a copy of what I sent, and that goes into the record. I asked them to put it in the record as if it were presented at the meeting. They said they would. But, I will send a Chief Deputy, if you would like.

President Nix: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: It will be at, what did I say, 4:30, Monday afternoon? Or 4:00, Monday afternoon in the Browning Room.

Commissioner Musgrave: And, the public’s welcome to attend that, and to discuss–

Bill Jeffers: There will be some farmers up there–

Commissioner Musgrave: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: –who are very concerned about their farm land. But, as I pointed out in the letter, there’s other industries in that area that are affected, and other public property; the state garage, the volunteer fire department, factories.

Commissioner Musgrave: Is this all part of the new, expanded siding that CSX was just telling us about?

Bill Jeffers: It’s, that’s, you had your meeting with the representative from CSX?

Commissioner Musgrave: Yes.

Bill Jeffers: It’s that siding he was talking about, yes.

Commissioner Musgrave: That was Mr. Brian Glover, and he’s the Supervisor of Public Affairs and Safety. If anybody wants to call him, that’s 502-815-1835. CSX is proposing an expanded siding that would go from Baseline, over across Stacer Road, and they’re saying that Stacer Road would begin suffering lots of stopped trains on it, the way Baseline currently does. So, these culverts are part of that plan?

Bill Jeffers: Yes, Ma’am.

Commissioner Musgrave: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: I noticed that in your meeting they were even possibly encouraging the Commissioners to consider closing Stacer Road. I’m sitting here thinking, well, here you have the police, the State Police post is right there at the end of Stacer Road, and that’s their first chance to get across the railroad tracks to respond to anything over towards St. Joe or Owensville Road.

Commissioner Musgrave: I was interested that they were suggesting that they could pay us $55,000 to close this road, and that we could use that to build an overpass, when overpasses cost around three million dollars. So, I would be agreeable to closing the road if they gave us three million dollars to build the overpass, but that’s the only way I’m agreeable to closing it. But, he did go on to say that they could go ahead and put that siding there and stop those trains on there at any time that they felt that they wanted to. I know Commissioner Nix tried to convince the gentleman that if they put their sidings south of Baseline Road that they would be impeding no crossings. But, I got the impression that they would look at that, but that their decisions have all been made.

Bill Jeffers: Well, they do have an engineering department that generally, somehow or another, gets what they want.

President Nix: Yeah, I just think we need to–

Bill Jeffers: But, I’m not going to give up without a fight.

President Nix: Commissioner Tornatta is going to be working with this Mr. Glover over the next few weeks, and maybe a few months, and we’ll address it. I’m comfortable that the right thing will come out of this.

Bill Jeffers: I guess, sometimes I get a little hot under the collar. I try not to, but, sometimes I do when I see the county is told to spend millions of dollars raising bridges two feet above the base flood elevation, which in your case is going to be 12 feet on Green River Road. It’s quite an expense, and it extends the time that Green River Road will be closed, and, yet when we’re out in the middle of nowhere, on a railroad track, even though backing that water up will adversely affect, substantially, you know, properties and public facilities, they don’t seem to have to do it. I don’t, and it’s the same Division of Water that makes the rules. I just don’t, but, I don’t want to get too far into that. I’ve posted my objection to it, and I will have someone at the meeting.

President Nix: Thank you, Mr. Jeffers. Then, I also sent you a copy of a letter that I sent to John Stoll recommending an eight foot by 12 foot box culvert with wingwalls at Green River Road and Morgan Avenue for the Hirsch Ditch, Wabash-Eerie Canal, whatever you might wish to call it. For that state project at that location. I was recommending leaving the eight foot diameter corrugated metal pipe in place off to the side as an auxiliary.

President Nix: Okay.

Bill Jeffers: That’s been forwarded to the state representative, Bart Mueller. I forwarded to him and to Imtiyaz Dalal, who is the engineer with their consultant.

Bill Jeffers: Other than that, I have some claims for maintenance to regulated drains, and to other contractors who have finished their work. I’ve signed those claims. The work has been inspected and been passed. I recommend paying those claims.

Commissioner Musgrave: Motion to approve the claims.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

Bill Jeffers: I have no more business, unless you have something.

President Nix: Is there anyone from the public that would like to comment? There’s nobody here, so, I don’t guess so. I couldn’t see behind you there, Mr. Jeffers, excuse me.

Bill Jeffers: I do take up quite a bit of the view.

Commissioner Musgrave: Motion to adjourn.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Nix: All in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Nix: We are adjourned.

(The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.)

Those in Attendance:

Bill Nix                                      Troy Tornatta                            Cheryl Musgrave

Bill Jeffers                                 Kathryn Schymik                      Madelyn Grayson

Brenda Jeffers                          Others Unidentified                   Members of Media

VANDERBURGH COUNTY

DRAINAGE BOARD

Bill Nix, President

Troy Tornatta, Vice President

Cheryl A.W. Musgrave, Member

(Recorded and transcribed by Madeyn Grayson.)