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Drainage board approves $142,000 change order for Nezwajani Ditch, contingent on RDC funding
Summary
The St. Joseph County Drainage Board approved Change Order No. 1 — roughly $142,000 — to extend riprap limits and coordinate work with Fillmore Road; the board said the cost does not come from drainage board funds and approved the work subject to redevelopment commission funding.
The St. Joseph County Drainage Board on Monday approved Change Order No. 1 for the Nezwajani Ditch project, a change order the consultant described as “approximately $142,000” to extend riprap limits and coordinate ditch work with the Fillmore Road project.
Jared Huss of Lawson‑Fisher Associates told the board the additions include extending riprap to reduce future erosion and to accommodate future upstream/downstream transitions, and that some work aligns with Fillmore Road improvements. “What you have in front of you is a change order for approximately $142,000 for the Nezwajani Ditch project,” Huss said, explaining the two primary components as riprap extension tied to permitting and coordination with the Fillmore Road work.
Board members clarified funding. A board member asked whether any of this money comes from the drainage board fund; staff replied it does not. Huss said the board’s approval today would be contingent on redevelopment commission approval: the drainage board approved the change order “subject to approval by the redevelopment commission,” and the motion carried.
Lawson‑Fisher also gave an update on a hydraulic assessment of the ditch. The consultant said the modeling is under internal review and staff plan to meet with the county engineer and local farmers in mid‑October to review model assumptions and data. Huss suggested field checks to refine the model, including a potential one‑foot lowering of a culvert near Golubski to gather observational data. He said IDEM issued a 401 permit and the Army Corps’ environmental review is moving forward.
Next steps: the consultant and county staff will pursue the redevelopment commission’s funding approval and complete the planned review with the county engineer and stakeholders.
