The Decatur County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) made short work of its agenda at the regular meeting Wednesday evening.

With only two requests to discuss, the BZA first heard from Don Lowe, representing Lo-Fer Acres, Inc. He asked the board for a “permanent special exception” for the purpose of building a pond. The pond would be approximately 1,000 feet south of 334 E. County Road 400 S. in Marion Township. That property is owned by Lo-Fer Acres.

The property’s burgeoning waterway, Lowe explained, that was kept to prevent erosion for years was washed out completely in the heavy rains earlier this year. Instead of re-hashing the waterway, Lowe sought to back it up with a dam and create a pond. That would probably solve the problem, he said.

BZA president Albert Armand was concerned that another developer or owner may use the pond to make the land more attractive for a development or housing. Lowe reassured the board that he had no plans to develop on tillable land.

“We have no intentions of building anything,” Lowe said.

The potential pond would be approximately 2.6 acres in surface area, and it would be designed solely for erosion control. Following conditions set forth by the BZA, Lowe and Lo-Fer Acres were unanimously granted the exception.

The second and final petition for the BZA was presented by Terry Castle, a resident living on Base Road in Washington Township.

Castle requested a variance to change the side set back from 30 feet to 10 feet for the construction of a garage. Though the board was initially hesitant, there were no complaints from neighbors nearby. The BZA approved the petition unanimously.