Monroe County commissioners assent to temporary soil deposits from Karst Farm fields pending stormwater and planning approval

Monroe County commissioners on March 27 agreed, by informal consent, to permit permanent placement of excess soil excavated from Karst Farm athletic fields on a county-owned area between Karst Farm Park and the highway garage, pending formal approval from the county planning department and stormwater staff.

The soil removal is part of turf installation work on fields 9, 11 and 12, where contractors must excavate down to clay for a firm base, project staff told commissioners. Project managers said the amount of material exceeded earlier estimates and the park has run out of on-site storage locations. They asked to use the field adjacent to the highway garage as a permanent deposit site; staff said the material is “not contaminated” and will be graded and shaped under a design approved by stormwater.

Why it matters: the county’s approach avoids costly trucking of excess material to off‑site sites, preserves budget for the turf project and affects park layout and future accessibility. Commissioners and staff noted the deposit area has been used previously for similar fills and that the long-term plan is to regrade the deposit into an ADA-accessible path to the park’s parking lot.

Details and discussion: project representatives said soil from fields 9, 11 and 12 must be removed to reach clay for the new turf base, producing more spoil than anticipated. They described a plan to “feather out” and shape the deposited material under an engineered design submitted to stormwater staff for review. County staff warned that trucking the material off-site would increase costs beyond the project budget.

Commission staff asked whether a formal vote was required. County counsel or staff responded that a vote was not necessary; commissioners expressed verbal support during the work session. The approval recorded in the meeting was contingent on planning and stormwater approvals; commissioners did not take a formal roll-call vote on the deposition at the session.

Erosion at Field 12: Commissioners were also told that Field 12 suffered unexpected erosion after a recent storm. The erosion stemmed from a strip of airport-owned farmland and a railroad behind the farthest field, staff said. Park engineers are designing a sediment-capture basin and regrading a ditch on park property to prevent sediment from entering the new turf. The Park Board voted to pay for the immediate mitigation work to protect the turf investment, and asked the county to approach the airport board about any contribution or coordination.

Coordination: staff asked county stormwater personnel for short-term technical assistance, such as temporary fencing or berms, while the engineered basin is designed. Commissioners suggested that county staff, airport staff and the park board meet—potentially at an airport board meeting—to coordinate erosion mitigation on airport-owned land. One commissioner suggested bringing airport board members (and specific airport staff named in the meeting) into the discussion; another commissioner said Jeff, who regularly attends airport board meetings, could help get the issue on that board’s agenda.

Access and traffic concerns: Park representatives reiterated a recurring request from athletic parents for a second exit from Karst Farm Park to reduce severe parking and egress congestion on tournament days; commissioners discussed potential exit routes using existing drives and the fairgrounds but noted no immediate plan or funding was established.

Outcome and next steps: commissioners gave informal approval to deposit the soil at the proposed highway-garage site, subject to planning and stormwater sign-off and final engineering on the shaping of the fill. Park staff and county stormwater staff will continue coordinating with the airport board and the Park Board on erosion mitigation and possible cost-sharing. No formal commission ordinance, resolution or recorded vote was made during the work session.