Dave Betts and Minnesota Department of Transportation engineer (MnDOT) John McDonald came before the Cook County Board of Commissioners on March 28 to discuss the design of the Otis Creek Crossing, a subject much discussed in the previous decade.
Betts said an analysis of the project (which included a hydraulics and hydrology study) of the Otis Creek watershed showed downstream impacts to the crossings at Highway 61 and the Stonegate Road, which is privately owned.
Anytime there is a high water event, problems arise because the troublesome culvert located near a house on County Road 16 floods the yard and water has spilled into the basement. Excess water also causes erosion as it runs down the hill to Lake Superior.
A one in one hundred year rain event would cause 1,000 gallons of water every second to go through the current culvert, said McDonald, noting the existing conduit is much too small to handle that kind of volume.
The plan is to replace the culvert with one that is 14 feet wide and six feet tall, said Betts. He added that he had talked with MnDOT about having them replace the culvert on Highway 61 with a larger one, and they stated that they would do so at the same time the county does its work.
Which would lead to even more water flowing into the Stonegate culvert during major rain or snow melt events. This might not be a legal problem for the county, said Betts, but would be an issue for the people living in the subdivision below unless they upgrade their culvert or do other preventive work.
Because of engineering that needs to be done and getting approval from the state, none of the work on Otis Creek would take place before 2021, added Betts.
The cost of the Otis Creek culvert is estimated at $400,000 to $450,000, with funds coming from a variety of sources, not all of which are known at this time said, Betts.
Commissioner Myron Bursheim said he has been driving by Otis Creek for 24 years on his way to and from his cabin. He said the plan outlined gave him cause for concern. “If we go ahead and do something and consequently affect something else…when we change this, what is our responsibility to the people living at Stonegate? We solve a problem but create another issue. I don’t think that way.”
Commissioner Ginny Storlie agreed with Bursheim and asked that before the county does anything, that Betts make sure to inform all parties affected by the work.
Betts said he would meet with representatives of Stonegate and give them a heads up about the Otis Creek plans. He asked Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers if the county could offer revolving loan funds for Stonegate, but Powers said no because the project didn’t meet the criteria of those funds.
Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk called for a motion to give Betts the go ahead with the project, and board chair Jan Sivertson seconded it with the board voting unanimously for the Otis Creek planning to begin.
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