Lorain County commissioners on Friday approved a second amendment to a consulting services agreement to advance survey, planning, wetland assessment, design and permitting work on Carpenter Ditch in the Willow Creek watershed.

The amendment authorizes up to $480,000 for those tasks, bringing the total contract cap to $1,279,710. County staff said the work will be paid from the stormwater professional services account and is recognized as a reimbursable cost from fund 4,500 through future eligible tax-increment financing within the watershed.

The amendment covers cradle-to-grave planning steps, county staff said: wetland delineations, surveying, design, construction planning and permitting, easement development and construction management if the project proceeds. County staff stressed that authorizing the money for study and design does not commit the county to construction spending.

"This is one of those projects where you're looking at what it could be from cradle to grave," the county engineer's office representative said. "There’s no commitment that we'd actually spend all of that money. Because we may find out that certain parts of the ditch don't need work ... or because of regulatory climate, there are things that we cannot do that would stop the projects from being able to go forward."

Commissioners and staff described Carpenter Ditch as one of several major ditch projects in the Willow Creek watershed. County remarks said the ditch has a drainage area of approximately 3.8 square miles and that the overall effort in the watershed covers nearly five miles of ditch. Staff noted the watershed includes areas with development potential, including the Creekwood Golf Course, and that past work on nearby laterals prompted broader study of the main ditch.

County staff described close coordination with township trustees and property owners during outreach; one commissioner said trustees walking property owners through the plan helped ease concerns that county work would take private land. Commissioners also noted prior ditch-petition projects and ongoing litigation affecting some drainage projects.

The motion to approve the amendment passed on a recorded voice vote with the commissioners voting in the affirmative.

County staff identified Kate McCartney and Associates Inc. as the consultant named in the amendment and said the county had previously awarded general services tasks for the Willow Creek watershed to that team.

If project planning proceeds to construction, staff said the county will seek required easements from property owners and pursue reimbursement where eligible under future TIF arrangements.

Less urgent details: staff said the amendment is intended to accelerate readiness for potential development investment and to allow the county to be positioned to leverage ARPA and other funding where appropriate.