Franklin County approves completion report, payments and reclassification for Drainage District 59

Franklin County supervisors approved the completion report for replacement of the lower main tile in Drainage District 59 and authorized related payments after a public hearing where engineers, trustees and landowners discussed construction details, unexpected ground conditions and follow-up remedies.

The project replaced roughly 7,780 feet of lower main tile. County staff reported that Lambertson Excavating (low bidder) began construction in July 2024 and reached substantial completion in September 2024. The contractor encountered saturated, flowing sand in several stretches; the county said those conditions required additional stabilization work and filter materials, producing a net contract increase of $19,907.25. County staff reported the amount paid to contractor and subcontractors — excluding crop-damage claims and interest — will total $764,466.85.

The drainage trustees and supervisors also approved a final payment to the contractor. The board authorized a final payment of $172,635.60 to Lambertson Excavating as the contractor’s remaining invoice for the project.

The hearing included a line-by-line review of project deviations. County staff explained the contractor used open-cut methods in several road crossings rather than jack-and-bore as originally specified, replaced headwall details with a bolted design suggested by a subcontractor, and installed thicker sheet-piling where stock was available. Where crews found flowing sand, staff said they placed larger stabilization rock under tile and used filter socks around perforated pipe to reduce sand infiltration.

Trustees measured crop-damage claims for seven property owners related to the work and recommended payment for eligible claims. Supervisors voted to approve the listed crop-damage claims, including payments noted in the clerk’s packet and a small claim for a trust covering one one-hundredth of an acre. Examples recorded in the claims packet included a claim of $5,454.68 for one property and $887.45 for another; all eligible claim amounts were approved at the meeting.

The board accepted the project’s contractor warranty terms and reminded landowners of the two-year warranty window: if deficiency or warranty work is needed and the contractor was previously paid to perform that work, the contractor will return under warranty; if a hookup or repair was not part of the original contract scope, the contractor may charge for that additional work.

Supervisors also voted to adopt a new classification (reclassification) for DD 59. The reclassification modernizes the district assessment scheme — the method that determines how future projects and maintenance costs are shared among parcels — using verified acreages, USDA soil survey data and proximity factors to the district main. County staff explained the work followed statutory procedures, required splitting quarter sections into 40‑acre parcels where necessary, and included special handling for roadway and railroad parcels.

County staff and the drainage clerk outlined next steps: the clerk will finalize assessment calculations and include the project debt in the district’s assessment cycle (anticipated at the time the county prepares 2026 assessments). Staff also told landowners to monitor fields during the warranty period and notify the clerk or county engineer if they observe problems.

Supervisors closed the public hearing after the votes and reminded attendees that the drainage clerk will post final paperwork and handle follow-up coordination with the contractor.

End details: The project file references an engineer’s report dated October 2023, a March 4, 2024 bid letting and the contractor Lambertson Excavating as the low bidder. The board noted DNR permitting issues may apply to future bridge/channel work on other projects (such as stream mitigation credits or permit requirements) but no specific DNR enforcement action was announced at this hearing.