County Planning Commission - public_hearing

Good afternoon. It's July 7th, 2026. It's 4.30 in the afternoon. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr. Moore.

I am here.

Commissioner Gallagher.

Here. Commissioner Riddell. Here. We have a quorum.

Today is the hearing on the drainage district for Curtis Ditch project in Penfield Township in accordance with the Ohio Rights Code section 6117. Notice was given on June 1st. From the Rain County Stormwater Management District, for this project, Drainage District has submitted to the board plans and specification and proposes the board to following drainage facilities improvement to be constructed. Curtis Ditch project is restored to Curtis Ditch from its headwaters located at 19828 State Route 301 and flowing westerly to its confluent with a portion of Curtis Ditch. already on maintenance, and one lateral that runs south to north from Peck Wadsworth Road to Curtis Ditch at 41370 Peck Wadsworth Road. Restoration includes removal of excess sediment, restoration of side slopes, clearing of trees, and other scrub along maintenance, easement, and re-establishment of a flow line. There is also the replacement of failing and failed culvert pipes. Length is approximately 3,800 linear feet within Penfield Township. Project will improve the outlet for eight septic systems, improve drainage of those properties as well as the Peck Wadsworth Road and frontage of the properties on the south side, including portions of farm fields. Location of said project begins about 710 feet west of the center line of State Route 301 along the southerly property line of 1906109000021, which is 19828 State Route 301. Curtis Ditch continues in an easterly direction across six parcels, finishes at the termini of the previous Curtis Ditch project at parcel 19-06-112-00004, a lateral flowing from south to north, beginning the roadside ditch off Peck Wadsworth Road, on east side of driveway going at 2-41370 Peck Wadsworth Road, and terminating at the intersection of Curtis Ditch. Resolution 26337, adopted June 5th, accepted the recommendation of Stormwater District and fixed today as the hearing. June 9th, six certified letters were sent to the owners. June 15th and 22nd, publication was in the Chronicle. May 26, engineer indicated the proposed drainage facilities will have no significant adverse effect on the roads, culverts, bridges, or existing maintenance within the county per our review in accordance with Ohio Risk Code 61701E. Proposed facilities will consist of cleaning and restoring shallow ditch that extends from the end of a previous phase of the Curtis Ditch project, including Ditch Lateral 2. And the entire improvement runs about 3 quarter mile in length. These facilities are needed to restore the adequate drainage outlet for local residential yard drainage and for culvert number 10.98 under Peck-Wadsworth Road, County Road C-45.

Good job.

Well, thank you. And I need everybody to sign in.

Everybody sign in? Okay, if anyone wishing to give any testimony today, please rise so that the assistant prosecutor can swear you in. And raise your right hand.

Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth? So I hope you got.

Thank you. There's about five items here that we'll be going through. So item number two, we're going to ask the engineer's office if they have any comments.

I have no additional comments. You have my report, no adverse effect on the facilities.

Okay, thank you. Don, anything from Stormwater with regards to any comments regarding this hearing?

Stormwater District has funding to fully fund this project without any assessments. This is a project that the board had recognized several years ago, and we were able to finally get our last easement after many, many meetings with the property owner to address it. This will actually be the second project that was identified from a site visit. Previously, we had completed got ditch and these two ditches actually start at about the same yard and go in opposite directions. So figuring out the flow lines was a challenge for Peter and trying to locate enough fall to actually allow the water to move. But this is a much needed project. The properties at the headwaters suffer incredible amount of just constant wet dampness. And again, eight septic systems had been struggling to function without having an adequate outlet. This will resolve those as well as with doing the lateral from Peck Wadsworth will also enhance agricultural production on the south side. There's a stretch of the land there that also drains into that ditch. And this completes Curtis, Curtis Ditch, at least up to the headwater. So the fourth phase and any future would be further downstream. but it all seems to be flowing well there. And we had previously last year, two years ago, we had maintained Curtis ditch that was already put on maintenance to keep that open and flowing. So we are keeping our promise on the drainage with that. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to try and answer.

Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Any township trustees wish to have any comments? Any owners wish to have comments?

My name is Dean Brimke and the only thing that I can attest to is the fact that the water that is in the back of my property just does not drain and I've lost numerous trees and my septic tank goes into that ditch also. So looking forward to it actually.

So this will help out? Yes. Okay, fantastic.

Thank you for stopping to say hello and thank you for doing it because that doesn't happen often enough.

Yeah, it was kind of one of those things where you kind of think it's a done deal and then you're kind of worried that maybe there is another neighbor that may not want it done, but it needs done really bad. It will complete everything. Thank you for your support.

Thank you. Thank you. Glad it's over, right? Almost over.

There's nothing worse than having these hearings and having 50 homes and all of a sudden one guy can hold up the whole and we've gone through that several times. Thank you. Can I get a motion to close the hearing?

So moved.

Second. Discussion? Mr. Verdell?

Aye.

Mr. Gallagher?

Aye. Mr. Moore? Aye. Okay, I'd like to make a motion to adopt the Lorain County Stormwater Management Drainage District for Curtis Ditch Project in Penfield Township, Lorain County. It is necessary to be constructed in accordance with the general plan and declared that Curtis Ditch Project is necessary for the preservation and promotion of the public health and welfare and that special assessments will not be levied and collected to pay for any part of the cost of the Curtis Ditch Project. That's my motion.

Second. Discussion? Mr. Moore? Aye. Mr. Riddell? Aye. Mr. Gallagher? Aye.

With nothing further, we are adjourned.