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Board accepts County Ditch 78 improvement and authorizes final payment, warranty start
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Summary
After an engineer's report finding the work complete and mostly within estimated costs, the board accepted the County Ditch 78 Branch 1 improvement, authorized final payment (contractor owed approx. $2,002.22 plus retainage), and triggered statutory warranty periods.
Blue Earth County commissioners accepted the engineer’s report and approved final payment for County Ditch 78 Branch 1 at the March 17 acceptance hearing, concluding the project and starting statutory warranty periods.
Chris Adams, project manager with ISG, told the board the petition for Branch 1 was received in 2022, the project was bid on Jan. 31, 2025, and construction was substantially complete June 18, 2025. ISG found one minor defect (a rolled gasket) that was repaired after harvest to avoid crop damage. Adams reported actual completed work at $44,005.72 — about $500 under the FER estimate — and said the contractor, Stevens Bobcat and Backhoe LLC, has provided required submittals and met plans and specifications.
Adams recommended issuing final payment and approving abandonment of the existing 18-inch tile (to become the landowner’s responsibility). ISG also recommended starting the 3-year warranty period for tile work and the 1-year warranty period for open ditch work. The board voted to accept the engineer’s draft findings and approved final payment; the motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: Acceptance confirms project completion, triggers warranty timelines under Minnesota drainage statutes, and clears retainage and final billing so the county can close out the contract.
What happens next: Staff will release final payment (approximately $2,002.22 owed plus noted retainage) and begin the statutory warranty periods unless future defects or claims arise.
