Morrow County official: Home Road sewer-line work near completion but repair and funding questions remain

Morrow County officials said work on a sewer-line extension on Home Road could conclude imminently, but unexpected construction complications created additional repair needs and funding questions.

"We believe today or tomorrow could be the final day for the sewer line extension project on the Home Road," County official Mister Burford said, noting crews discovered the road is thinner at the edges and that an engineer’s grade miscalculation required moving excavation away from existing easements. "So they needed to go deeper, and the only way they could do that is by moving away from the easements that were there with existing utilities," Burford said.

Burford said the change increased the scope of road work and may require digging and a layover surface to stabilize the road for heavy trucks. He said the county would seek quotes for repair options and that some interest earnings from county-held funds could contribute. Burford also said the county might pursue an emergency funding request from the state, a process that could take about a year to resolve.

Commissioners and participants expressed frustration that the party responsible for planning or miscalculations has not accepted financial responsibility. "It amazes me that somebody can mess up and not have to pay," one speaker said, arguing that contractors should cover the cost of mistakes.

In related updates, Burford said the dog warden position has been posted and applications are being received, and that quotes are being gathered for renovations to the community service building housing the coroner’s office; several equipment and vehicle tests are also under way.

What’s next: The county will obtain repair quotes and consider funding options, including using interest earnings and pursuing state emergency aid; no formal financial appropriation for the repairs was made during this meeting.