Delaware County commissioners approve Chancell Gate drainage project, confirm assessments after contested hearing

Delaware County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Chancell Gate Watershed drainage improvement project and to confirm the schedule of assessments after a final public hearing in which more than a dozen landowners testified for and against the petition.

The project affects a roughly 84-acre watershed in Concord Township and was proposed by petitioner Stephen Corvey and four others. County and Soil and Water officials presented an engineer’s estimate and assessment method under the Ohio Revised Code before the board considered written objections and live testimony.

County Soil and Water Deputy Administrator Brett Bacon summarized the proposed work and cost. He told the board the project would include surface drain swales, subsurface drainage tile, a blind inlet, erosion-control structures, clearing of vegetation and seeding. He said the engineer’s construction estimate is $81,568.44, with planning/inspection costs of $10,935.57, first‑year maintenance of $4,625.20 and a $13,000 contingency for a total estimated project cost of $110,129.21. "The parcel assessments for this project are within the range of assessments that can be expected for a project of this scope," Bacon said.

The engineer and Bacon explained assessment math the board must use under Ohio law: assessments are allocated to property owners based on acres benefited, land‑use factors and percent use, and state statute requires uplands that have been altered to be considered benefited by a drainage improvement. Bacon summarized payment options: landowners may pay in…