Sixth Street ditch project moves forward

The city of Monticello’s Sixth Street ditch project has been scaled back after multiple homeowners were opposed granting easements to their properties to facilitate the work.

“We’re scaling back the project because some of the property owners didn’t want to grant the easements that the council wanted, to do the full project from Chestnut Street all the way to east of Cedar Street and up to Sixth Street,” City Administrator Russ Farnum told the council on March 16. Future work on the ditch is intended to improve drainage in Monticello’s Sixth Street neighborhoods. City officials say that yards in the area can flood or become oversaturated without a proper watershed system.

Back in 2006, Snyder and Associates studied the ditch and highlighted its issues. In 2014, the study was updated with a comprehensive preliminary engineering study. Then, in June 2017, S&A completed preliminary engineering plans on the ditch. 

Now, the scaled back project will cover replacement of the ditch’s walls and banks transitioning to existing grade for the lots adjacent to and just east of Chestnut Street. The project will also include replacement of the retaining walls, relocation of the bottom of the ditch and reconstruction of the banks for the section east of Cedar Street and extending north to Sixth Street.

Farnum and city staff have sought easements to properties along the ditch to allow crews access to complete work on the ditch. As it moves east, the ditch eventually snakes through Monticello Golf Club and empties into the Maquoketa River.

According to council documents, the easements for each property include a temporary easement which allows the city and its contractors to enter onto the property and complete ditch work. The permanent easement and maintenance agreement allows the city to enter the properties (after proper notice) to perform maintenance on the drainageway. The maintenance agreement says the property owner must stay up to date on mowing and keeping the drainageway clear of trash, debris, weeds, shrubs and/or trees and any other drainage obstructions.

Work included in the temporary easements includes the removal of drainage impediments, regrading, soil reinforcement and replacement of structures and landscaping. 

“Some of the property owners along the field in the back didn’t want to grant the easement, which is fine, it was their choice,” Farnum added. “We do have Chally’s and the Wersinger’s (easements) on the far west side of Chestnut, and then east of Cedar Street we will be cleaning the culvert under the DOT right of way on Cedar and doing the rest of the creek restoration east of Cedar Street, tying into where the storm sewer goes underground on Sixth Street. That is a scaled back project, but we have signed property owner easements on permanent parcels to get this carried out.”

Farnum said a small amount of work (under 200 feet) will be done just east of Chestnut Street, and then more work will be done in a section east of Cedar Street that turns north and drains to Sixth Street.

Farnum noted a long section of the ditch that runs from Chestnut Street and turns south to the homes facing Fifth Street near Fareway will not be done.

City Engineer Colton Ingels said that updates to the new plan will be finished by the end of the month and will be sent to the court to get re-permitted. Ingles expects that to take about a month, with bidding to go out in May and a contractor hired in June.

“One note to add, Dave (Goedken) had a really good idea to use our staff to get the scrub trees out of the ditch and cleaned up before the contractors start, to hopefully save some money. City staff will start doing that starting when we have the easements in hand,” Farnum said.

Temporary easements, permanent easements and maintenance agreements were approved with the following property owners: Scott Wilcox, Ashley Archambault, Autumn Wersinger, Keith E. and Janice K. Tackett, Morgan Eggiman and Scott L. and Patricia Chally.

Farnum said the cost estimate for the project was $760,000 two years ago.

“Costs have gone up since then, but with the project scaled back, I am not sure where this will end up until the engineers get the revisions done and do some new estimates,” Farnum added.