Litchfield Secures Easements for Yaeger Lake Trail Water Line Project

Article Summary: The Litchfield City Council voted 7-0 on Sept. 3 to authorize a permanent utility and public access easement and a temporary construction and access easement with D & B Farm, clearing a property-rights hurdle for a grant-funded water line project along Yaeger Lake Trail intended to create a redundant loop around the lake.

Yaeger Lake Trail Water Line Key Points:

Consideration of $1,998 comes from the water enterprise fund.

The permanent easement is 20 feet wide; the temporary construction easement is 10 feet wide, running up to three years or until construction is complete.

The project would create a redundant loop so that a main break would not cut off water to the west side of the lake and to Butler.

The city still needs an easement from at least one more property owner, expected at the next meeting or the one after.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, authorized two easement agreements with D & B Farm needed to build the Yaeger Lake Trail water line, a grant-funded project the city says will give the water system a redundant loop around Lake Lou Yaeger.

Alderperson Robert Garcia made the motion, seconded by Alderperson Dwayne Gerl. The roll call was 7-0. The minutes append a parenthetical to the item describing it as “Yaeger Lake Trail Water Line, Grant Funded, Spring 2027 Construction.”

The agenda memo states the city is almost ready to put Phases 1 and 2 of the water distribution improvements project along Yaeger Lake Trail out for bid, and that the easements are necessary to facilitate the project. It lists a financial impact of $1,998 as consideration, available in the water enterprise fund.

What the Easements Cover

The permanent utility and public access easement agreement in the packet identifies the property as 97 Rainmaker Trail, Butler, Parcel No. 10-25-400-005. The easement area is described as a 20-foot-wide permanent utility easement being the west 20 feet of the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 25, Township 9 North, Range 5 West of the Third Principal Meridian in Montgomery County.

The agreement grants the city a non-exclusive perpetual public utility easement and permission to install public utilities that may include water, sewer, electric, gas pipes, telecommunications and power lines and poles. It requires the city to restore the easement area to its original condition after installation, including repairs to curbing, paved areas, landscaping and grass, and to notify Rick Luck upon the start of construction.

The temporary easement is conveyed by a quit claim deed and is described as a 10-foot-wide temporary construction easement being the east 10 feet of the west 30 feet of the same quarter-quarter section. The deed states the temporary easement commences on its date and remains in effect until the earlier of three years from that date or such time as construction of the installation is reasonably deemed complete. Both documents were signed on behalf of D & B Farm by Donna M. Luck and William T. Warren, identified as partners, and notarized Aug. 28, 2026. An easement exhibit drawing in the packet is credited to HMG Engineers, Inc. of Breese and dated Dec. 9, 2025.

Why the City Wants a Loop

Asked during discussion to explain the project, City Administrator Breann Vazquez said the city has grant funds for Phases 1 and 2 of water distribution improvements along the trail, covering water line replacement and improvements to create a redundant loop around the lake. She said the city needed an easement from one of the property owners along the route, with a temporary construction easement and a permanent easement for the water line, and that the city is currently obtaining authorization from another property owner, expected at the next meeting or the following one.

Vazquez pointed to a break roughly a year ago as the reason the loop matters. The break occurred in the middle of the timber near Yaeger Lake Trail, she said, and the line turned out to be about 20 feet down, taking several hours to locate the line and then the break.

The redundant loop, she said, means that in the event of a break, “everyone on the west side of the lake and then Butler would not be out of water.” Asked whether the work extends to the Butler side of the lake, Vazquez said that portion is part of Phase 3.

Asked about timing, Vazquez indicated construction would not begin this fall, with one member noting that construction is a bad idea during deer season. The minutes’ parenthetical points to spring 2027 construction. The grant program funding the project is not identified anywhere in the meeting record.