Board approves culvert replacement in McKinley

By Anna Jauhola
There will be a new culvert between sections 17 and 20 of McKinley Township.
The Kittson County Commissioners met as the unorganized township’s board on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Landowner Jim Thompson made the request to replace a culvert on 370th Street, a prairie road that runs along the section line. Thompson was unable to attend the meeting and no one else from McKinley Township was present.
“The highway department brought this to the county board during the last meeting,” said Aimee Sugden, county administrator. “But we wanted to make sure the township board had a chance to look at it.”
County Engineer Arthur Kukowski assembled a cost estimate for an 18-inch culvert to match the grade of the current ditch grade. Thompson’s request came because the ditch has filled in with silt over the years and isn’t draining. By placing an 18-inch culvert level with the bottom of the ditch, that will help with flow.
The culvert is $699 with delivery. He will contact Anderson Brothers Construction to remove the old culvert and install the new one, which he estimated at $580. The total estimated cost is $1,279. Plus, the township will pay for the Two River Watershed permit, which is $50.
“The current culvert is 24 inches, but the ditch is so silted in that it’s changed over the years,” Kukowski said. “So we’re going to match the bottom of the new pipe to the current grade so we get way better flows through there.”
Sugden noted the McKinley Township fund has plenty of money available with more than $40,000. The township board approved the estimate and for Anderson Brothers to complete the work.