West Lafayette passes resolution to help with sewer expansion project

Mayor Stephen R. Bordenkircher and the West Lafayette Council passed a resolution to appropriate supplemental right-of-way for the village’s sewer expansion project.

If acquired, the village would stand to acquire an approximate 1.0-acre permanent utility easement across the central area of the property, north-south. This easement will be 10’ in width and approximately 4,280 feet in depth and lie parallel to an already existing easement for the sanitary sewer line.

The Village of West Lafayette also intends to utilize a temporary easement containing approximately 2 acres for a two-year duration. The temporary easement is effectively a 20.0’ wide strip of land located immediately to the east of the proposed utility easement to be acquired. The temporary easement is necessary for construction within the permanent easement.

The acquisition of the sewer easement and the temporary easement will not damage the overall utility of the site. The highest and best use of the subject property will not change due to the acquisition of the easements.

If acquired these easements would affect only less than 1% of the property they encumber and would not affect the property’s value or interfere with the surface use once the project is complete.

“We have already surveyed the area with our project manager to determine this is the only cost-effective choice available to the village and had a specialized appraiser come out and a look at the property to determine the fair market value,” said Mayor Bordenkircher. “We had previously discussed this acquisition with the property owner, who was not amenable to sell us the easements for less than ½ million dollars. With the appraisal complete, we will make a final counter-offer based on that number, hopefully everyone will be on the same page as the value.”

The village’s resolution authorizes the mayor to seek acquisition by eminent domain if necessary, but Mayor Bordenkircher has stated that is not the village’s first choice. “The village is in a place where we have to complete this expansion to provide adequate sewer service to the citizens and we have a grant to help with that cost,” he said. “We think the village and the property owner will be in a better position if we don’t have to spend money for a court to determine that the expert who looked at the property knew what he was talking about, but if we cannot agree on price, our responsibility to everyone including the property owners is to move ahead.”

Category: People & Places