Silver Bay City Council: Flood Mitigation, Perimeter Ditch Update

On Monday night, the Silver Bay City Council voted in fa­vor of a proposal from Bolton and Menk for the preparation and submission of a Minne­sota DNR Flood Hazard Mit­igation Grant. The grant ap­plication could be considered the second step that the city is taking to remedy the problem of the poorly maintained city wide perimeter ditch which has caused severe flooding in some of the homes that abut the ditching system. The first step has involved the efforts of council member Ben Bautch, who has spearheaded efforts to get property owners to agree to allow work crews onto their property so that the necessary survey work can be done to ensure that flood mitigation efforts are done correctly. There are still some holdouts who apparently are concerned that agreeing to an easement that will allow the work to be done will lead to the loss of their property that is specified in the easement documents. It should be known that the ease­ments that the city is seeking will only be in effect while the work of ditch reconstruction is being done. Post construction, the easement will be null and void and property ownership will remain in the hands of the rightful homeowner..

When awarded, the grant will help pay for the survey work that needs to be done to ade­quately restore the ditch. The cost to the city for the work that Bolton and Menk will do will be $5,000. The costs that will be incurred if property owners on the uphill end of the ditch don’t allow crews to access their property will be consider­ably more as city officials may have to go the route of eminent domain in order to resolve the perimeter ditch problem.

In other business, the coun­cil approved a contract with Bolton and Menk for construc­tion administration services for the Multi-Modal Trailhead Center. The city has secured $5,370,000 in funding for de­velopment of the Trailhead facility and Bolton and Menk will provide support and over­sight for the work while the project is under construction by acting as architectural, me­chanical and material testing consultants.

Finally, Officer Micaiah Schubert, of the Silver Bay Po­lice Force, has advanced to the rank of Sergeant. The council offered him congratulations and their thanks for his service to the residents of Silver Bay.

The next Silver Bay Council meeting is scheduled for Au­gust 18th at 7:00 PM.