At the Monday, February 11 Rushford Council meeting, Public Works Director Roger Knutson presented a lengthy list of projects the department intends to tackle over the next year. “As you can see, we have plenty, and this doesn’t include things that come up,” said Knutson. “Some projects will require quite a bit of manpower, some less. I always try to think, ‘What is the best long term solution?’”
The improvement of city streets has been an ongoing priority and two road projects are slated for this year. It includes a street and utility improvement undertaking on East Grove Street, Walnut Street, and North Burr Oak Street as well as a smaller project resurfacing on Lamplighter Lane. In addition, Knutson noted additional minor projects that will be done almost entirely by Public Works with only the resurfacing portion hired out. They include removal of asphalt, regrading, and repaving of on an alleyway Prairie to Walnut, removal and replacement of asphalt patches on Home Street, and removal of a manhole to address heaving of the street by the storm drain near the swimming pool.
In the industrial park, the city will be addressing a gravel road that cuts across the newly purchased lot of Leigh Volkmann. The road is a platted city roadway, but was never improved further into a city street. It serves a number of trucks at nearby businesses. The plan is to move a portion of the road over, straighten sections, being careful of road steepness. “The road gets a lot of use. We’ll be able to do it,” added Knutson.
Water and sewer issues appear to be getting under control, with the city having done a large number of improvements in the last 10 years. On Maple Street, between the Wilson and Colbenson properties, a storm drain is leaking. Some years ago, it was patched, but the patches have failed. Public Works has the line jetted out occasionally, to keep it clear, but Public Works is intending to dig up and replace sections or install a new storm line.
As per the Wellhead Protection Plan, an interior floor drain will need to be installed for wellhead two. Some years ago, a pipe was cut and a concrete floor installed to allow excess water to be deposited into sanitary sewer, which does not meet code. There is an old softener tank structure basically falling apart, which will be cut away and torn down prior to the digging up of the manhole and installation of the French drain. “Well number two is old,” said Knuston. “It’s basically for emergencies. It runs every third day or so to keep it functional.”
An old wastewater treatment plant digester will also be demolished. The open-air tank, no longer in use, fills with rainwater and debris.
As part of the levee system, an area at the Elm Street Lift Station, behind Kwik Trip, will get some needed attention. The lift station serves as one the main storm water pumps when levee gates are closed and there is high water and sediment is building up. Public Works intends to widen out and straighten a ditch area, which will help eliminate the sediment, as water won’t slow.
In relation to parks, there are a number of locations that will see improvements. First up is continuing work at the Magelssen Bluff scenic outlook. Public Works has removed a number of trees to provide greater visibility, even from inside a vehicle. At the east turnaround, a rock gabion wall will be constructed; tall enough to keep cars from going over and will not impede the view. In addition, bathrooms also continue to see improvements. Following a League of Minnesota Cities survey of parks, it was noted that gravel, concrete, or asphalt walkways to the facilities should be installed to help meet Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
At Creekside Park in 2018, the city is dealt with excessive run-off from the new school site during high precipitation periods. Plans include installing drainage culvert or tile to help eliminate standing water. Knutson did note that there may be less water this year due to growth of vegetation on the school site, which can slow and drain water.
Tennis courts at the park are “rough,” and the city is conversing with engineers to see what it would take to bring them back into good condition. “These courts are going to need some kind of attention. The school uses them and there are people there,” said Knutson.
Finishing areas of the new Veterans Park, hopefully prior to Memorial Day, re-shingling the building at Jaycee Park, an estimated $600, and placing recycled brick pavers at the tourism kiosk outside the school are also on the docket.
At the municipal airport, the city is examining a better way to have fuel delivered for the recently upgraded fuel system. Refueled four or five times a year, public works is considering a 10-12 foot wide access road, with gate, or utilizing a hose system to keep trucks from needing to drive on the taxi area. When the fuel system was designed and installed, city engineer’s estimated a “high-end version” of the access to be roughly $26,000, but the city had no further grant money to draw from. Knutson is confident a solution can be found.
Public Work also continues to do battle with emerald ash borer and record low temps may have helped. “Every tree in the city, except five, all which had been treated by the homeowner, has been removed,” said Knutson. “We hope to plant 10 to to 20 trees in the spring and another 10 to 20 in the fall for Ash tree replacement.” Work on the grapple used to remove the trees will need to be done as well.
The department is also continuing to tackle cleaning up the Public Works headquarters area. An addition on one shop was approved at last month’s meeting, to store equipment and further clean up the area.
Public Works is anticipating requesting the hiring of summer help as a method of budgeting and reducing costs. Knutson estimated a base of $2,000 to hire a seasonal help. “It’s nice to have summer help to fill in, so we’re not using a higher paid employee to do those tasks,” he added. “It’s a good example, too, if we can get a kid to work for us. It might lead into a career in public works.”
In other news, the Library Board will interview three candidates Saturday, March 16. The candidates include one local resident, one from Kansas, and the third from Pennsylvania. The two non-local candidates will be interviewed via Skype. Should a second interview be needed of any candidates, the Library Board will conduct them in person.
City Administrator Tony Chladek indicated there is no further news on the former R-P School facilities. Three sealed bids were delivered to the school board for the former Peterson Middle School, but no decision has been made to date.
Openings on various city commissions still remain. They include one on Planning and Zoning, two on Airport, two on Economic Development, and one on the Electric Commission. Interested persons should contact city hall.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Monday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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