Drainage board tables request to fund private culvert behind Morrison Woods nursing home

A property owner and excavator raised a request for the Delaware County Drainage Board to purchase a 30-foot, 4-foot culvert pipe to replace an undersized private crossing behind Morrison Woods (a nursing home), saying the owner would install the pipe and sign a bridge-acknowledgement form making the crossing privately maintained.

Surveyor staff explained the crossing appears undersized and holding water; the county’s typical practice in previous situations is that private crossings and field access are the landowner’s responsibility. Several board members questioned whether the 2005 ditch reconstruction cut off access to the field and whether that creates an exception that would justify board assistance. The surveyor said reconstruction records did not clearly document whether a culvert was installed at that time.

Given uncertainty about property access, ownership records and legal implications, a board member moved to table the request for one month so staff can gather photos, maps and legal research and so the landowner can supply additional documentation. The motion passed on a roll call vote.

What comes next: staff will try to locate property records and project documentation, take or compile photos for the board, and report back at the next meeting. If the board ultimately decides to fund materials or authorize a county installation, the board said it would require a signed bridge acknowledgement shifting ongoing maintenance to the private owner.

The board did not authorize immediate purchase or installation.