Cost unclear for tile replacement

Jay and Blackford County residents who will pay for a new drainage tile will have to wait a while longer to find out what the cost might be.
The counties’ joint drainage board found out Monday that not every acre in the watershed is necessarily served by the tile.
The tile, which originates in Jay County and crosses into Blackford, drains the 490-acre W. B. Chaney watershed. But a landowner pointed out that an open ditch serves about 180 acres.
The next step is to inspect that land to determine how many acres drained by the ditch are not  served at all by the tile, and exclude them from assessment, Jay County surveyor Brad Daniels said.
About 2,900 feet of tile, all in Blackford County, need to be replaced. Blackford County has been making smaller annual repairs, which haven’t cost enough to necessitate a joint meeting.
Daniels had an estimate of $53,000; Blackford County drainage board member Harry Pearson said $57,000. Based on a cost of $55,000, every acre would be assessed for about $112, a sum that would be paid over five or more years.
If only 310 acres can be assessed, that cost would rise to $177. It’s also possible some land is served by the ditch and the tile, which would put the cost somewhere in the middle.
The board members — Jay County Commissioners and drainage board members Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman, Blackford County Commissioners and drainage board members Fred Walker and Pearson, along with a neutral third party, Wells County surveyor Jarrod Hahn — decided to hold a hearing Jan. 25 at which landowners will receive a better idea of cost.
In other business, the commissioners:
•Accepted requests for qualifications for a flood mitigation plan from seven engineering firms: Beam, Longest and Neff; Butler, Fairman and Seufert; CHA; Choice One Engineering; Christopher B. Burke Engineering; Clark Dietz; and Commonwealth Engineers.
The commissioners, Daniels, Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman and county engineer Dan Watson will review the proposals. Parr expects a meeting by January to select about three firms from which to get quotes.
•Signed a claim for a new vehicle for the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Dwane Ford purchased a 2016 Ford Explorer from Bloomington Ford for about $26,600. This replaces a Chevrolet Impala that was damaged during July flooding.
•Heard from Jay County Emergency Management Agency director Ralph Frazee that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is remapping the floodplain of the Wabash River.
•Learned the Indiana Bicentennial flag will be raised at the courthouse at noon Dec. 11, the 199th anniversary of Indiana becoming a state.