Photo by Kirsten Zoellner
At the July 2 Rushford Village meeting, the council learned the extent of the flooding from three days of flooding that began June 21.
“There’s definitely been plenty of excitement there,” said Public Works Supervisor Trenten Chiglo.
Issues began with the lift station where one float was non-functioning and the station saw high water over the weekend. As of the meeting, Chiglo had replaced the faulty unit and the station was working correctly.
While roads managed to hold up relatively well to the onslaught of rain, two roads took a hit. The roadways have both given the village issues in the past. First up, is Gilbertson Road, a dead-end road running south of Highway 16 just past the city of Peterson.
“The stream flooded. Something’s got to be done,” cautioned Chiglo, who is in contact with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “It’s the same spot brought up in the past.”
A small stream runs along the east edge of the road and it feeds into the Root River. Watershed from Trout Spring Lane and several other road areas all feed into the area and according to Councilor Mike Ebner, it drains all the from Norway Township. It will eventually undermine the road if not addressed. With the heavy rains and flooding, the stream’s flow continued underneath the water but was forced to slow rushing water when the Root pooled back into it. These events may have saved the road from washing out entirely as the lack of flow stopped the water from gouging it out. Instead, the bank sloughed off and fell about 10 feet, creating an eight-foot flat-bottomed spot along the stream.
A glance at the history of the road shows from past meetings indicates that as far back as December 2022, the village was working off a DNR permit for the road at that time. It is an active trout stream and that limits what the village can do. Last year, Chiglo noted at a January meeting that he’d started the permitting application online. The village was waiting to hear back on possible cost-sharing for a solution.
According to Chiglo the permit from last year is likely still good and it would speed up the repair process. He recommended the installation of gabion baskets to help with soil retention but stated the DNR didn’t sound in favor of that as it’s not as natural looking. Estimates for the installation of rip rap and shot rock are $225-250 per load and $275-300 per load respectively. Chiglo expects that 7-10 loads of each will be needed. The permitting cost is $1,200.
The council approved the work unanimously. Chiglo will also keep track of equipment and man hours and document everything with photos. The village can submit costs exceeding $3,000 to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for possible reimbursement.
The council also approved an additional load to Benson Lane where a Missouri crossing sits over a small waterway. In 2017, a hydrology report was done following issues with the crossing and eventually, the DNR allowed the crossing to be renovated in 2018. FEMA questioned the DNR stance at the time and both needed to approve plans for the area. There’s been little heard in meetings about the crossing until this month. The village needs no permitting for adding the rock.
In other news, work on the Public Works maintenance shed will continue the week of October 14 with recently approved contractor Cory Baker. Work will include insulation and application of steel to the walls and ceilings. It’s unknown at this time if the budget will allow the village to order and install the new doors at that time. The total cost of the door, when last quoted, was $3,600.
Total expenses for the spring clean up were $998, up just slightly from 2023.
“With the weather, I thought we did pretty good,” noted Clerk Mary Miner.
There was a significant amount of heavy items this year and the council will review possible raising of prices for the next clean-up. The goal of the process is to urge residents to properly dispose of materials and to clean up local properties.
“It’s $1,000 we save that Trenten doesn’t need to pull out of ditches,” said Mayor Dennis Overland.
Other council actions during the meeting included the ordering of two new computer towers for $1,600 and the prebuy of 750 gallons of propane at $1.59 per gallon.
As a reminder, filing dates for village council candidates are July 30 until August 13 at 5 pm. The position held by longtime council member and current mayor Dennis Overland as well as those of councilors Mike Ebner and Rick Ruberg ends December 31. Candidates must submit an affidavit of candidacy to be included on the ballot. Those interested in filing for candidacy are encouraged to contact the village hall.
The July 16 meeting was canceled due to an expected lack of quorum.
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