The City of Washington and two property owners are still dealing with the effects of a road paving project on the southeast side of the city. In 2008, a grant through the Iowa Department of Transportation helped to fund the work to pave Fillmore Avenue which leads to airport road from the Whitesell building.

That roadwork required removal of topsoil from two adjacent farmland properties owned by Richard Bordwell and Tim Temple.  That topsoil was replaced by the city, but in a memo to the Washington City Council, City Administrator Brent Hinson says that the city has later understood that the replacement soil was not as good of quality as the previously existing soil.  The city has been making financial contributions to Bordwell and Temple to make up the difference.  It’s totaled a few thousand dollars.

There has previously been some disagreement about what will fulfill the financial obligation from the city.  Washington City Council members are scheduled to talk about the issue at their meeting Wednesday night, and they could take related action.