By Heather Graves
Correspondent

BELLEVUE – It’s no secret there’s flooding problems on South Huron Road near the Eaton Road intersection.

Several times a year, the road is partially or fully closed due to high water, causing problems for commuting through the village and trucking.

At the Wednesday, Jan. 8, village board meeting, staff updated trustees on Bellevue’s continuing collaboration with Brown County to try and come up with long-term solutions to the flooding problems.

Andy Rowell, director of Public Works said the Brown County Highway Department approached the village in fall to discuss possible solutions.

Rowell said a variety of options have been discussed, with the most viable being a stormwater pond located in the currently undeveloped land northeast of the problem intersection.

Andrew Vissers, Bellevue’s community development director, said the owner of the property northeast of the intersection is interested in development, which would require stormwater management.

Vissers said a meeting was held in October with village staff, representatives with Brown County and the property owner to introduce the project and get initial input.

He said the partnership has merit, but there are still details to be ironed out.

“Projects such as this that may provide mutual benefit for both the village and county should be sought, assuming an appropriate cost share can be determined,” Vissers said.

He said the county would like to start planning and design this winter and construct the pond in spring.

Village staff don’t think this is realistic due to timing and budget, but they believe it could be possible for 2021.

No vote was taken on this issue, other than authorizing staff to continue looking into options.

Cold storage rental

The board has made a decision on where to store village-owned cold weather equipment during the summer months – at least for now.

Trustees authorized staff to enter into a lease agreement with RJ LeFevre LLC, for $400 per month with a term length of May 1 to Sept. 30.

Board members asked staff to secure a rental property for the equipment following the decision to demolish the former storage site at 3833 Eaton Road, which was deemed structurally unsafe.

Equipment to be stored at the rental property includes plow blades, chipper, top-dresser, stump grinder, grader blades, restoration materials, winter vehicles and more.

Staff presented the board with six rental options, but recommended the RJ LeFevre location because of the building’s door width and it’s overall square footage.

Adam Waszak, director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, said the RJ LeFevre rental property was the only option which had the capacity to fit all the equipment.

The board plans to revisit the issue in the future to determine a long-term, permanent solution.