Commission approves Stevens snag-and-clear project, conditionally requires Davis driveway culvert upgrades

The Ramsey County Water Resource District presented a proposed snag-and-clear project for Stevens Township that would cover about 6.9 miles and include portions of Stevens, Ontario and Bartlett townships. The water board reported the project's total cost as $47,263.20 (digging costs $44,600; administrative $2,603.20) and estimated a payback period of about nine years with annual assessment collections a little over $6,800.

A public attendee identified as Mr. Davis urged caution about driveway and culvert capacity, saying recent rain pushed water to the road top: "Just this last rain that we had, it had enough water coming from the south that took it just about to the top of the road with just the 2 of culverts sitting in their house." Commissioners required that Davis's culverts be addressed before proceeding and approved the water board's motion with that condition. "The motion's been approved contingent upon dealing with the culverts in the Davis driveway," the water board presenter said.

Stevens Township representatives said the township will address any needed culvert work and expressed willingness to contribute private funds to shorten the assessment payback period. The county commission then moved to accept the water board's resolution of necessity for the snag-and-clear and the motion passed by roll call.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 713; topfinish SEG 1036.