St. Joseph County drainage board approves Rogers Clark encroachment with maintenance conditions

The St. Joseph County Drainage Board on an affirmative voice vote approved an easement encroachment for improvements along Rogers Clark and MJ Lang roads, contingent on a maintenance plan and coordination with the project contractor.

Board members said the permit approval is conditional on the training board working with the project contractor (referenced in the record as “Walbridge” or “AWS”) to cover maintenance costs and to confirm access and spoil-placement arrangements before hard surfacing proceeds. One board member moved the approval and another seconded; the motion carried.

The board and project representatives spent the bulk of the discussion clarifying where excavation spoil may be placed during ditch maintenance, how close the new asphalt surface will be to the top of the ditch bank, and what equipment access will be required. A staff member said much of the work must be done from the east side because the west side is fenced, and that spoil likely will have to be hauled off-site once the campus development proceeds: “Probably depend on timing. Like, right now, there's plenty of room on the south side of the campus to put spoilage. But once later down the road when that property is developed also, you probably left all off-site.” (public comment/transcript)

Board members discussed doing proactive ditch cleaning and brush removal before permanent surfacing is installed to avoid higher future costs and to reduce the need for excavation between the top of bank and new asphalt. One member said it would be preferable to perform maintenance “before they get the asphalt down because…it's gonna cost more down the road to do it right now.”

Board staff cautioned that state and federal permits may apply to ongoing ditch work; the transcript record showed discussion of Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits as possible requirements for work in regulated waters. The board asked staff and the contractor to confirm which agencies’ approvals would be required before permanent work begins.

The motion recorded at the meeting directed staff to approve the encroachment permit on the condition that a maintenance plan is in place and that the training board coordinate with Walbridge/AWS to help cover maintenance costs related to the Rogers Clark improvements. The motion passed on the board’s voice vote; no roll-call vote tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Looking ahead, staff and the contractor agreed to schedule a site walk to determine exact maintenance needs and to confirm spoil handling and access logistics prior to the placement of permanent asphalt or stone surfacing.