The Morton County Drainage Board voted to grant conditional final drainage approval for “Project Louis,” a mass-grading development that would disturb 356 acres of a 391-acre parcel, after a multi-month review and the insertion of several conditions.

Dave Eichelberger of Christopher Burke Engineering, the third-party reviewer, told the board the firm "is recommending approval of the project with several conditions," citing the need for regulatory permits for jurisdictional stream impacts, written approvals from the utility for proposed features within an existing electrical easement, and copies of right-of-way approvals for work in state and county rights of way.

Eichelberger said the mass-grading submittal assumes roughly 75% impervious cover for the overall site and that the project team intends to proceed in phases, returning to confirm that subsequent building and parking plans do not exceed that imperviousness assumption. The project design includes 14 detention ponds, some of which are interconnected, and construction controls such as ditch checks, sediment fence and skimmers to minimize sediment leaving the site.

Board discussion emphasized intergovernmental coordination: portions of Keller Hill Road fall under Hendricks County maintenance and will require that county’s approvals, and the applicant must secure state or county permits where work occurs in outside rights of way. Board members and staff also described the contractor’s on-site superintendent and an independent third-party inspector; the applicant is required to perform weekly inspections and after every half-inch of rain, per local ordinance and state requirements.

The board moved to approve the mass-grading/final drainage plan with the conditional items outlined by staff. The motion was recorded in the transcript as made by "Kenny Hill," seconded, and carried by voice vote.

The board also approved the project’s erosion and sediment control bond at $1,767,000, with the action contingent on final sign-off of bond language by Terry Brock (as recorded in the meeting). Board members discussed earlier engineering estimates and the calculation method used to derive the bond amount; the transcript contains two close but different engineering figures discussed during the meeting (see clarifying details).

Next steps: the applicant must provide copies of all required regulatory permits and utility approvals and identify any changes to grading plans required by those permits before work in restricted areas may begin. The board asked to be kept informed as approvals are received and as individual phases return for confirmation.