Board closes hearing on DD4 Lateral 11, directs engineer to prepare final plans and bid letting with concrete and plastic options

The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors closed a public hearing on an improvement proposal for Drainage District 4, Lateral 11 and adopted the engineering report, directing the county engineer to prepare final plans and proceed to bid letting. The board specified a half‑inch coefficient for the design and asked that bids include both concrete and plastic pipe options.

The engineer’s office reported on landowner outreach and objection tallies: ten unique landowner objections were tallied against an existing schedule of 39 distinct names, representing 27.5% of assessed acres; the remonstrance thresholds for stopping the project were not met. The engineer also described design work to replace a junction box and indicated that a larger structure (estimated roughly 8 feet by 8 feet) would be installed to accommodate upsized tile and laterals.

The board’s direction included explicit instructions that road crossings and other critical locations will be reviewed and likely constructed with concrete where required, and that the bid package should present comparable plastic and concrete alternatives so the board can evaluate both price and long‑term durability. The motion to adopt the plan and proceed was made by Supervisor Stecker, seconded by Supervisor Garman, and carried on a recorded vote.

Engineers and trustees said contractors must meet installation specifications and that post‑installation testing (including a deflection/televising inspection) would be required for flexible pipe installations. The board and staff noted the project’s potential to relieve chronic drainage constraints and emphasized coordination with landowners on alignment and access as the project moves toward bidding and construction.