Commissioners approve Frankfort Fire Station storm drain in county right-of-way, waive encroachment fees

Surveyor Dan Sheets and civil engineer Nick Bergman of RQAW asked the Clinton County Board of Commissioners on March 4 for permission to install a storm drain through county right-of-way to serve the new Frankfort Fire Station at State Road 28 and 600 West.

Sheets said the project requires routing pipe through the county right-of-way to reach a creek and achieve a positive outfall; Bergman said the project needed the right-of-way route because of local topography. Bergman described the request as permission to install a 930-foot section of reinforced concrete pipe and later confirmed the diameter would be 12 inches.

Commissioners asked whether the county would assume ownership after installation; Sheets said the drainage board would be asked at its next meeting to accept the outfall as a legal drain and that, once accepted, the drain would be a legal county drain. Sheets also asked the board to waive the encroachment fees on the permit "due to the fact that it will become a legal drain."

The board voted on a motion to approve installation of the storm drain in the county right-of-way and to waive encroachment fees. The motion was seconded and passed on a 3-0 vote.

What it means: the county's formal approval authorizes installation of the 930-foot, 12-inch reinforced concrete pipe and initiates the process for the drainage board to accept the installation as a legal county drain. The waiver of encroachment fees was approved by the commissioners as part of the same motion.

Next steps: Sheets said the drainage board will be asked to accept the drain as a legal drain at its next meeting, and the project team will update construction plans to include farm-access considerations and notes that an entrance must remain available during installation.