Council looks to schedule work session on Sixth St. Ditch

     Keith and Janice Tackett, residents along Monticello’s Sixth Street Ditch, addressed the council during the Sept. 6 meeting regarding the ongoing issues with the ditch.

   Keith said they moved here in 1999, and since then, over the past 22 years, they’ve repeatedly asked the city where things stand on fixing the ditch.

   “And we’re still waiting,” Keith said. “There’s still no resolution in place. What’s going on?”

   Keith said the ditch is unsafe, and with little grandchildren, they’re fearful of their safety while playing in the backyard.

   “They could fall into the ditch, get hurt or slip and drown,” he said. “It’s dangerous and something needs to be done. It shouldn’t have taken 22 years.”

   Janice felt that more water has ended up in the Sixth Street Ditch due to more and more development within the city.

   “More houses have been added and more water and more erosion,” she said.

   The Tacketts said they’ve done some work on their own, such as adding rock along the ditch.

   “But it’s gotten worse and worse,” continued Janice. “You can see under the road now. It’s a mess and it’s not our mess. If it were, we would have fixed it.”

   The Tacketts have and continue to offer the city right of way at no cost to come in and fix the ditch.

   “If you want to take ownership (of the ditch), we’ll give it to you,” offered Janice. “We’ve done everything we can to keep up the land. But we can’t do it. We didn’t create the problem. If the city had done something years ago, it would not be this bad.”

   Keith suggested the city just fix the worst spots along the ditch if the city didn’t have the funds for a full-length project.

   “If a couple of people are willing (to give you easements), take them up on it and show other people that it can be done,” urged Keith. “And maybe they’ll give you easements, too.”

   Mayor Dave Goedken suggested the council plan a work session separate from a council meeting to discuss the Sixth Street Ditch project and brainstorm some immediate fixes. This work session would be open to the public.

   City Administrator Russ Farnum offered that the earliest date for a work session would be in October.

   “I know that the city council is tired of this issue,” he said of the ongoing frustrations. “They are committed to getting this addressed and done. We want a permanent solution; something done right and call it a day. That’s the goal of the project and what we’re working toward.”

   Goedken also wanted to hear an update at the work session on what the city has spent so far on the ditch.