Commissioners approve $11,000 wetland study for Westport site; approve invoices and financial report

Burns Harbor commissioners approved an $11,000 services proposal from Soil Solutions to delineate wetlands and produce recommendations for managing the Westport site, town staff said. The commission also approved meeting minutes from Sept. 10, 2025, a project invoice (PO 3358, invoice 94) and the town's financial report for September 2025 during the same session.

The wetland work approved by the commissioners consists of a formal wetland delineation and a subsequent state determination, town staff said during the discussion. Staff described the delineation as a first step to document the extent of wetlands on the site, produce survey work and outline a care or management plan to prevent further outward expansion of wetland areas.

Staff told commissioners the wetlands have grown since the property was farmed for decades and that growth accelerated after the town stopped renewing the farm lease and the site sat idle during the COVID period. Because prior delineation work carried out under a developer cannot be reused, the town needs its own report to support future actions, staff said. The report and recommendations are intended to give the town a clearer sense of the site's development potential and property value, and could be used to restart negotiations with a developer or to issue a new request for offers.

Commissioners made a motion to authorize the Soil Solutions proposal for the stated amount and approved it by roll call. The meeting record shows brief questions and clarifications from commissioners about timing and next steps before the vote.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (Sept. 10, 2025): Motion to approve minutes carried by roll call; commissioners recorded as voting yes during the roll call. Specific mover/second not specified in the transcript.

- Project invoice PO 3358, invoice 94: Approved by roll call. The invoice was described as payment for right-of-way work related to the Marquette Greenway project.

- Soil Solutions wetland services (Westport site), $11,000: Motion to approve the proposal for $11,000 approved by roll call. The services were described in the proposal as wetland delineation, survey activities and state-level determination and recommendations.

- Financial report, September 2025: Motion to approve the financial reports for September 2025 approved by roll call.

The session also included brief staff reports and a correspondence update on the Marquette Greenway phase 1 drainage; the commission tabled further discussion of an NPS partner design and construction agreement for Phase 1b until a future meeting. No additional funding source for the Soil Solutions work was specified in the meeting record. The meeting adjourned after the listed motions were approved.