The Morgan County Drainage Board on Oct. 6, 2025, approved a $9,400 contract with Taylor Cooper Excavating LLC to clean the Mary A. Nutter Ditch from Washington Street to the 39 Bypass.

Board members voted by voice after a staff recommendation based on two bids; the other bid submitted was for $16,000. The stormwater coordinator (name not specified) told the board the lower bid came from Taylor Cooper Excavating LLC and recommended awarding the work to that firm to meet a sensitive timeline: the contractor was asked to finish by Nov. 10 so seed and hay mulch could be placed on disturbed soils.

The contract covers cleaning the east side of the drain between Washington Street and the Third Bypass/39, removing a modest amount of accumulated sediment, straightening short reaches, and performing light landscaping and seeding. The stormwater coordinator said crews will place seed on the east bank after the work; the board discussed leaving the west bank largely untouched to avoid the larger excavation and benching that would be required there.

Kenny Howe moved to approve the contract for $9,400; a second was recorded but not named in the meeting transcript. The motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records no roll-call totals. The board also noted the contractor representatives were present at the meeting.

Board members and staff discussed related concerns that will affect implementation: fill dirt and aggregate placed by private property owners north of the bypass at a site described in the meeting as “vendors” appear to be compacted material, not fines, and may not be contributing rapid erosion but could affect the drain. Board members said the fill was permitted through the City of Martinsville, which issues city permits and controls erosion-and-sediment provisions on that property; the regulated drain runs through the middle of the site.

Board members said they may add additional stabilization work if field inspection during excavation shows it is needed. They also discussed televising the underground pipe section in the future to assess conditions; that work has not yet been scheduled. The meeting included discussion about inlet protection material (straw) that should be removed where asphalt is complete and reminders that property owners were sent notices (five distinct landowners were identified, one owning multiple lots) about the drain corridor.

Board members repeated that homeowners are allowed to trim or mow vegetation in the ditch area but not to apply herbicides that would remove the grass used for bank stabilization, and said the planned work is expected to make it easier for residents to maintain the opposite bank.

In brief old-business action, the board noted the contractor that completed the bridge on Sutter Ditch had finished punch-list items and that the board will release final payment to that contractor this month.