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Sellersburg reports progress on Sunflower Valley water project; one more outreach before potential condemnation
Summary
Town staff told the council they have secured the majority of easements and right-of-entries for the Sunflower Valley Water Project but will pursue one more outreach to remaining owners before moving toward condemnation for a small number of properties.
Town staff provided a multi-part update on water and wastewater projects at the Sept. 22 Sellersburg Town Council meeting, reporting progress on the Sunflower Valley Water Project and timelines for utility relocation work.
Andrew, a town staff member working on utilities, said the town has obtained about 16 of 21 permanent easements and 29 of 33 right-of-entries for the Sunflower Valley project. He said the town plans "to take one more shot at this before going down the road of condemnation" for the remaining properties, noting difficulty in getting responses from some owners.
On related work, staff said the lead service line inventory field work is complete and that the Local Control Rule (LCR) spreadsheet is being updated ahead of submittal to the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) and the town. For the IN DOT 31 West utility relocation project, staff reported a preconstruction conference was held and the contractor has placed orders for pipe, valves and manholes; substantial completion was scheduled for Dec. 7 and final completion for Jan. 6, according to the project schedule provided to the town.
Regarding wastewater work near the town center, staff said property-owner letters and easement exhibits have been prepared and that the town will ask owners to donate easements; Brad Amos and Terry are expected to participate in initial property-owner discussions. Staff also said construction for elimination of Ivy Tech Pump Station No. 2 will begin once condemnation proceedings (where necessary) are complete.
Andrew said some homeowners had requested the IFA perform additional work before they would sign permanent easements; he said IFA is not going to perform that extra work and that the town may need to proceed individually with nonresponsive property owners.
Council discussion emphasized the timeline and the need to wrap up outstanding easements so projects can move forward. Staff said there are about five homes for which permanent easements remain unresolved and that some entries involve different owners rather than a single contiguous parcel.
The council did not take formal action on condemnation at the Sept. 22 meeting; staff described next steps as another outreach followed by potential condemnation proceedings if easements are not obtained.
