Supervisor, citizen not happy over drainage work

Humboldt County’s five-member board of supervisors and the public don’t always agree on what’s best for the county. But sometimes they do. Such was the case Monday, regarding the nearly completed Drainage District No. 2 project east/southeast of Gilmore City. The project which started last summer, provided a tile rerouting for a large main and lateral I, east and south of Gilmore City. The over $3.2 million total project encompasses 3,854 acres and closes nine ag drainage wells while providing more than 50 acres of wetland mitigation. Of the total cost, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provided $2.1 million in grant funding, leaving landowners paying slightly more than $250 per acre (on average) for the work. Gilmore City area farmer Bob Lynch said he had concerns about the quality of work, adherence to specifications and safety issues. Lynch also criticized the county's drainage engineering firm Jacobson-Westergard and Associates, for failing to properly supervise installation. Supervisor Jerry Haverly said he was also displeased with the quality of the work, and asked drainage engineer Rick Hopper for a full report on contractor issues at the board's Sept. 4 meeting. The contractor for the project was Schany Construction of Graettinger. For more news on county government, including all legal publications, subscribe to The Humboldt Independent by clicking on the link above.