Property owners ask Codington Co. to help provide access to their land near Horseshoe Lake

Two males looking for reliable obtain to assets they own sought support from the Codington County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning.

Douglas Wishard and Barrett Wittnebel each own home in the vicinity of Horseshoe Lake in the northwest section of the county.

Wishard life on 167th Avenue and Wittnebel has procured house close by with an intent to create on it. The street, however, has been specified by Richland Township officials as least upkeep, meaning the township is not obligated to maintain it open. Wishard stated he has to use a boat to cross the physique of drinking water blocking entry to his household, and Wittnebel would have to do the similar.

Andrew Delgado, Codington County Emergency Administration director, said the street was initial flooded in 2019 and is beneath at the very least 2 to 3 ft of h2o calendar year-spherical.

“There have been various tries to take care of the problem, but it hasn’t happened however,” Delgado said.

Wishard said he has attained a verbal agreement to trade 5 acres of his land for different access, but the deal has never ever been finalized.

Some motorists have long gone by an additional person’s assets to get previous the flooded place, angering the neighboring home owner, Wishard said. He stated he’s been informed he’ll be charged with trespassing if he even walks on the neighbor’s residence.

Watertown legal professional Mitchell Koehn spoke on behalf of Wishard and Wittnebel, asking commissioners if the road can be removed from minimum maintenance designation. That would require the township to initiate repairs. Koehn also explained the existing situation is devaluing each men’s home.

“It’s a intricate, emotionally infused difficulty,” claimed Koehn, who included that the flooded road helps prevent accessibility by hunters and anglers.

County officers claimed the scenario can’t be resolved at the county amount considering the fact that the road is beneath the township control. Travis Paulson, director for the South Dakota Board of Towns and Townships District 5, stated at the county conference that a improve in highway designation can only happen once a yr, and that would have been in March. District 5 contains Codington and Clark counties.

Tale continues

The commissioners agreed to have county State’s Lawyer Becky Morlock Reeves look at all the legal concerns associated.

Sheriff’s monthly report

Before in the assembly, Sheriff Brad Howell supplied his report for March, which saw 599 scenarios and phone calls, such as 11 responses to mishaps, 73 warrants becoming served and the serving of 256 civil papers.

Howell said 100 people today are steering clear of incarceration in the county jail via every day monitoring. The jail’s higher inhabitants in March was 75 inmates and the reduced was 57, with a day-to-day typical of 64.71. That was a little bit fewer than February’s 68.54, but higher than March 2021’s 53.61.

In other action Tuesday, the fee unanimously:

• Elevated the cost of civil fingerprinting solutions from $10 to $20 for each personal.

• Agreed to house Walworth County inmates in the jail at a demand of $95 for each day for every inmate.

• Permitted the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer of Watertown to perform Sunday worship products and services at Memorial Park, which is owned by the county.

• Reinstated a Nationwide Insurance policy retirement strategy for county employees. The action is required by the Interior Income Assistance.

• Authorized a memorandum of understanding for the Rides to Wellness grant in between the county and Group Transit of Watertown-Sisseton.

This post originally appeared on Watertown General public Viewpoint: With road flooded, two residents inquire county to support with land entry