Public Works items again topped the March 21 Rushford Village Council meeting discussion. Road issues and maintenance, an improvement project, and the ongoing changeover of water meters were all on the agenda.
City Engineer Derek Olinger of Bolton & Menk addressed the council regarding County Line Drive. The rural gravel road winds up a steep hill section and is subject to slope instability and erosion issues. One area on the north side of the roadway is particularly challenging and a public safety concern.
“In addition to the erosion issue, slope stability is an issue, and with the dropoff concern, it’s safety,” said Olinger. “Looking at alternatives, it has a big impact on what we can do and acceptable permanent solutions.”
Current options include a permanent 140-foot rock barrier wall. According to Olinger, excavation would be 15-16 feet below the existing road surface with any retaining wall options and be right up against the bluff. In addition, a geogrid would reinforce the soil. The estimated cost is $380,000-410,000.
“The long and short of it is these rock wall options are very expensive,” he added.
Public Works Supervisor Trenten Chiglo suggested the city continue to attend to the area with fill and riprap at what he estimated at $5,000-10,000. Assuming it holds for five years, he stated the city could repeat the process 30 times over for the cost of a rock wall barrier.
“Where do we draw the line at where we stop putting these walls or culverts in on roads where there are issues?” asked Chiglo.
Olinger then suggested a series of concrete box culverts despite being told the city wanted to avoid culverts due to potential plugging issues. “A culvert is going to be drastically cheaper. It’s much easier. If you want to be down $100,000 and start more around that level, then a culvert is your best option.”
The culverts are eight-foot in diameter, spanning the entire length with custom bends. Headwalls would prevent water from leaving the channel and undermining the culvert. In addition, preventative measures upstream would help eliminate debris plugging the culvert. The council tabled the issue until after the annual road tour on the first Tuesday in May.
Olinger also presented an update for crack filling and chip sealing as part of street maintenance plans. The city has budgeted $50,000 for the work. They will seek bids in two sections: first, streets repaved in 2014-2016, and second, all streets due. By doing the maintenance work, cities can extend the overall lifespan of streets. The council approved moving forward with seeking bids.
At the last meeting, the council discovered the Beaver Builders Supply estimate for proposed upgrades at the Public Works maintenance shed was good through December 16. A revised estimate was provided and dropped $60. The city has $90,000 budgeted for the shed.
The city wants to break ground on the project in May but is looking to apply for an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) grant that could net some funding if the project qualifies. According to Community Economic Development Associates’ rep Rebecca Charles, the grant, geared towards workplace safety, can fund up to 80% of the total project cost. The caveat is it requires OSHA to review the site and make recommendations. The project must then include any suggestions that OSHA puts forth.
The deadline for the grant application is April 15, and the city will be notified within two weeks following. Charles will bring more information back to the next council meeting.
Lastly, the council approved the hire of Gordon Johnson to conduct door-to-door visits on behalf of the city before the upcoming digital water meter changeout. The goal is to determine the current water meter setup, whether or not there is state-required grounding, what type of shutoff is present, and to document it all via photos. Because the state requires a licensed electrician to put in grounding when none is present, the city hopes that by knowing each home’s setup, they can avoid the high cost of having the contractor, Vis Plumbing & Heating, waiting on sites while NES electricians conduct needed work.
“It’s better to do it this way than for the plumber to go in blind. This way, we have a plan,” stated Overland.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Tuesday, April 4, at 7 pm at the Village Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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