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Morton County awards $293,258 culvert contract for South Outer Drive
Summary
The Morton County Drainage Board voted to award a REDI grant-funded contract to Yarberry Companies to replace the Solder Ditch culvert at South Outer Drive, including an added alternate for improved access; the board authorized the chair to sign the contract.
The Morton County Drainage Board voted April 7 to award a contract to Yarberry Companies for $293,258.60 to replace the Solder Ditch culvert at South Outer Drive, including a bid alternate to improve access to the work site.
The recommendation came from Joe Miller of Banning Engineering, who told the board, “We recommend, awarding a contract to, Yarberry Companies a total of $293,258.60.” Miller said bids were competitive and the alternate — about $38,000 to replace an additional culvert northeast of the main site — will ease contractor access and is within the project budget funded by a REDI grant.
The board accepted the engineering recommendation and voted by voice to award the contract. Kenny Hill moved to accept the Yarberry bid with alternate 1; a second was recorded and the chair called for a voice vote. The board approved the measure and later voted to authorize Board Chair Terry Brock to sign the contract when it is prepared.
Why it matters: The project replaces an undersized crossing that has limited access for heavy equipment and has contributed to drainage and construction difficulties in the area. County staff and the engineer said widening and replacing the culvert will allow large cranes and lowboy trucks to reach the site safely and should reduce future access-related delays.
Project details: Bidding produced seven bids, with Yarberry Companies as the low bidder on the base scope. Banning Engineering added an alternate after preconstruction feedback from bidders that a dip on South Outer Drive prevented equipment access. The alternate will create a wider opening (the engineer estimated roughly 8–10 additional feet of opening length) and remove two smaller pipes in favor of a larger single opening.
Funding and timeline: Miller said both the base bid and the alternate are within the previously allotted REDI grant budget; board members noted state/federal grant administrators are pressing for timely spending. The board gave the chair authority to sign the contract once it is finalized and delivered to staff.
Votes at a glance: The board approved awarding the Solder Ditch (South Outer Drive) contract to Yarberry Companies for $293,258.60, including bid alternate 1 (motion: Kenny Hill; second: not specified in the record). The board also approved authorizing Terry Brock to sign the contract (motion: Kenny Hill; second: not specified). Both actions were approved by voice vote.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the written contract, deliver it to the board chair for signature, and coordinate preconstruction scheduling with the contractor and the county surveyor.
