Trustees approve final plans for Warren #11 ditch repair, set bid timeline

The Story County Drainage District trustees voted April 7 to approve final plans and specifications for an 8.5-mile regrade of the Warren #11 open ditch designed to restore original capacity. Bolton & Menk drainage engineer Tyler Conley said the plans have been approved by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and formalize a 100-foot right-of-way.

Conley summarized the scope: the project runs from 660th Avenue to 110th Street (450 stations, or about 45,000 feet), includes tree removal, spoil-bank leveling and inlet pipe repairs, and lists an estimated construction cost of $1,100,000. "The estimated project cost is $1,100,000," Conley said. The agenda item to acknowledge and approve the final plans passed on motions by Trustee Latifah Faisal, seconded by Chair Linda Murken, carried unanimously.

Trustees and staff discussed process details relevant to bidders, including the use of drainage warrants and the timing of notices to bidders; Conley said notice must publish once a week for two consecutive weeks and proposed a tentative bid opening. Drainage Clerk Scott Wall said the county is using a 6% interest rate for warrants. The trustees set a bid opening for May 7 and a bid-consideration meeting for the evening of May 18 to allow landowner input before final steps.

The approval starts a procurement timeline that staff said could lead to construction beginning after bids are awarded; the tentative project completion date on the plans is April 15, 2027. The trustee approvals on April 7 were procedural approvals of the engineer's detailed plans and do not by themselves change assessed benefits or finalize assessments against landowners.