Dickinson County approves agreement to pay about $730,000 for Sherwood Forest drainage fixes

The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors voted to approve an agreement that channels roughly $730,000 toward drainage repairs at Sherwood Forest Park, saying the work must proceed to secure available grant funding.

A staff member told the board the county was at a point where it should approve the deal "or we're gonna leave about $730,000 on the table to finish this up." The staff member said Lee would be at the meeting to answer technical questions.

Lee, introduced earlier at the meeting, told supervisors Olsen Design Company will pay Stephis about $730,000 to perform the drainage fixes and that the agreement "has a release in there that we're releasing liability from." Lee said the county engineer and John Hite from the city reviewed the plans and provided feedback that led Olsen's team to make changes. "We also have the stakeholder behind us, and if there's issues that arise, they'll step back in and get some engineering done," Lee said.

Supervisors sought assurance the proposed work would solve the drainage problems. Lee responded that the revised plans addressed reviewers' concerns and that measures were in place to address later problems if they occur.

A committee member moved to approve the agreement for Sherwood Forest Park; the motion was seconded and passed by recorded voice votes. During closing remarks staff noted supervisors would be added to the agreement's signature block before the document is finalized.

The board moved on to the next agenda item after approving the agreement; no further substantive debate or amendments were recorded in the meeting transcript.