Marthasville officials agree they need to move forward with improving stormwater drainage near Daniel’s Trail. They just don’t how they are going to pay for the approximately $135,000 project. Officials said during the June 16 workshop meeting that they would like to make the issue a priority at the July 12 board meeting. “I can’t believe this is a $135,000 project,” said Mayor Dale Verges. “Hopefully, when we go out for a bid, they’ll come in lower than the engineering bid.” “I’d just like to know where the money’s at,” said Alderman Jim Struckhoff. Officials said the project would not be performed this year, but acknowledged they need to consider how they will allocate funds for the improvements. City officials say the storm water problems in the area are caused by poor design, location and terrain. “It gets wet,” said Alderman Leo Tobben. “It’s a wetland back there. We need to catch the water so these people can cut their grass. They push their lawnmower and it sinks in.” The proposed project would expand pipe width and help alleviate standing water at homes on Daniel’s Trail, which has been an issue since the current drainage system’s installation. Lewis-Bade officials said the pipe width would expand as it progresses across nine inlets. Twelve-inch diameter piping is proposed near Hiawatha Street. The piping would eventually reach 42 inches in diameter before emptying into a nearby creek, west of Daniel’s Trail. Lewis-Bade Engineer Bart Korman said a grass swale, or covering, would be added over the piping. “This would help dry (the yard) out,” he said. “It will allow for the swale to be more easily maintained. The grass swale would just be part of the yard and it allows for a natural way for the water to flow in case the pipe gets clogged up, so we don’t flood any houses.” Officials agreed the issue had to be resolved, but first wanted to gather input from citizens especially on how to pay for the project. “If we’re getting property owners involved, we might have to put a lien on the property and say (to residents) pay it off in the next 10 years,” Verges said. Tobben acknowledged that the project would eventually need to be paid for, but felt residents are being put in a tough position. “For people trying to sell the house, it’ll be difficult, because they have to tell the buyers that they have a lien on the house to fix this water problem,” he said. “The developers should not have promised what they did to people who had bought land back there,” Tobben added, alluding to the fact that developers told residents there would be no water issues. Alderman John Graham urged residents to assist with the project in any way possible. “If everybody agrees to put just a little bit (of money toward the project), it’d be for the good of the city,” he said. “We all want a better property value.” Another method suggested by Verges was to create a $500,000 bond issue for all city water projects on a future ballot. “It wouldn’t cost that much to put it on the next ballot and see what happens,” he said. “And if (residents) turn it down, well, what do you want us to do? If we want to tackle all these storm issues, we can go out for a bond and the residents pick it up.” “I’d like to schedule a meeting with the property owners (on Daniel’s Trail) and show them what we need to do,” Verges added. “A bond issue for $500,000 would tackle this.” Graham agreed a meeting was necessary. “A meeting will give people ample opportunity to speak their mind and give their opinion and get involved,” he said. According to Verges, the city has received approximately $40,000 per year in capital improvement funds in recent years and could “earmark” that money for the future. An easement for area residences would also be needed for the city to perform the necessary work, but Tobben said the city should not be required to make such payments. “We shouldn’t have to pay for the easement because this is fixing part of the residents’ problem,” he said. Officials are urging residents to attend the July 12 board meeting for further discussion on the issue. City Nears Griswold Street Construction Officials also noted at the June 16 workshop meeting that improvements to Griswold Street are slated to begin in the coming weeks. Aldermen awarded a bid of $69,706.45 to Troy-based Cannon General Contractors. The city had $95,000 budgeted for the project. The street, in dire need of repair in multiple areas, lies adjacent to Highway D, across from Marthasville Elementary School. Repairs would consist of raising the road from Ozark Street to Highway D and should take around one month to complete, officials said. A preconstruction meeting is scheduled for July 6. Board members authorized Verges to contact Cannon, requesting a completion date of Aug. 15, so as to not disrupt school traffic when classes resume Aug. 17. Officials said if the completion date was not met, safety measures would be in place for children walking to and from school.