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MOUNT VERNON — A Knox Pages reader asked about the status of the Knox Cattle Company dam on Yauger Road.
Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
In a Friday conference call, attorney Aaron Firstenberger said that although weather and materials delivery delayed the project by about two weeks, he expects crews to complete the work this week.
Following substantial completion, there will be a punch list (a list of uncompleted work or minor repairs) and workers will complete any remaining remedial work. The contractor is Mark Haynes Construction.
“At this time, the receiver is not expecting any change orders, so that’s definitely a positive,” Firstenberger said.
The receiver is Jack Harris of Intercept Management. Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel appointed Harris receiver on behalf of The Landings Property Owners Association, the owner of the dam.
Harris expects Haynes Construction to work on the punch list next week. Once completed, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will inspect the project and ultimately sign it over to the POA.
Firstenberger and Harris submitted draft POA bylaws to legal counsel representing various parties. They will also submit a copy to property owners not represented by an attorney to ensure they have a chance to comment.
Who will pay for the causeway being created?
The Knox County Board of Commissioners allocated $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to the dam project.
Of that, $634,500 was encumbered for Haynes Construction. There are no cost overruns on the project to date.
Harris is putting together final numbers for ongoing maintenance expenses. He anticipates a two-tier fee based on the amount of impervious surface each lot has.
An impervious surface is a surface where water cannot penetrate and must flow on top. Sidewalks, asphalt, buildings are impervious surfaces.
Interim City Engineer Quentin Platt explained that the development has different types of structures: condominiums, town home-style condos and larger, single-family lots.
“Essentially what we’re looking at is dividing that in a more equitable way to where the lots that have more impervious area and are contributing more runoff to the pond are paying a higher share of that cost,” he said.
“The units that are contributing less because of having less impervious area are paying a lower share of that cost.”
All homeowners’ associations have given preliminary approval to allocating maintenance expenses to all property owners in the affected areas.
Harris expects final approval once he determines what that expense will be.
