On Feb. 23, five bids were received for the repair project of County Ditch 20 in Barber and Walnut Lake Township. At the last Drainage Authority meeting on March 6, the Faribault County Board of Commissioners accepted one of those bids.

Brunz Construction Company, from Madison Lake presented a total base bid of $263,732.35, which was accepted by the board. According to a letter from ISG principal and vice president Chuck Brandel, ISG has worked with Brunz Construction in the past and has had good results. The project is scheduled to be completed on December 31, 2018.

The board also passed a motion to set 2018 crop damage rates for corn at $665 an acre, soybeans at $475 an acre, and rye at $225 an acre.

Other items from the meeting included:

A motion was authorized for the purchase of a new aluminum trailer and a trade-in of the current trailer. The new trailer is valued at $2,500, while the trade-in value of the current trailer totals $1,000.

Following the departure of drainage inspector Zachary Coxworth, the Soil and Water Conservation District will not be hiring additional staff to fill the vacancy. Instead, current drainage manager Merissa Lore was appointed to fill the position.

The board approved a partial payment in the amount of $33,107.83 to Jensen Excavating for work performed on CD 514. According to drainage manager Merissa Lore, all construction on the project is finished. However, tilling of the buffer area has not yet been completed.

A motion was approved for the lease of a 2018 Bobcat utility terrain vehicle from Yeager Implement in Blue Earth. At a cost of $200 per month, the span of the lease will be from March to December.