4th Street East Improvements (2010 Construction)
Completed Work
See the Project Process page for more details on intermediate steps, public hearings and Council decisions.
Completed phases of the project are listed below.
May 7, 2010, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM - 4th St. CLOSED between Division & Washington Streets (Canceled due to rain)
May 4, 2010 - City Council adopted the special assessments and approved construction contract to BCM Construction, Inc.
Individual Meetings with Property Owners
We want to thank everyone for your comments and information that were provided at the neighborhood meetings as well as the city council meetings. As we prepare for construction, we would like to set up individual meetings with property owners along the project area. We use this meeting to assist in determining service locations, landscaping concerns and other details specific to the individual properties. We have set aside half-hour blocks during the week of April 26th, 2010 to conduct these on-site meetings. Please contact Sean Simonson at (507) 645-3049 to set up a meeting time. Sean will be one of the project representatives during construction and will be actively involved with resident communications. If for some reason a time during this week does not work, please let Sean know and he will try to accommodate a different meeting time.
Burial of Electrical Lines
As a part of this project, the City approached Xcel Energy to discuss the possibility of burying the overhead power lines. Xcel Energy has completed a preliminary design and cost estimate for the burial if this work was to be incorporated into the City’s project. The total project cost is estimated to be $114,000.
The City’s policy is to assess 100% of these costs to the properties along the project corridor. These costs would be in addition to the city street and infrastructure project and service assessments. The costs have been estimated to be $2,200 or less per residential property for the main line plus the cost of the individual electrical service connections between the main electrical line and the home. The service connection work is coordinated directly with Xcel and has been estimated to be $1,500-$2,500 per connection, which is not assessable.
Since the main line burial costs are assessed entirely to the abutting properties, it will be necessary to receive 100% approval from all of the affected property owners to incorporate the electrical line burial into the project. Our March 17 mailing included a petition and waiver of assessment appeal for those property owners along the project who are potentially affected by this component of the project: those whose properties are adjacent to electrical main lines. Please review the petition and sign and send to the City’s Engineering Department no later than April 9, 2010 to show your understanding and support for this option. If you did not receive a petition, your property is not impacted by the electrical burial.
Result: (4/12/2010) While numerous residents expressed interest in burial of electrical lines despite the increased costs, a greater number rejected the proposal. As a result, no electrical lines will be buried as part of this project.
Feasibility Report
The City Council accepted the feasibility report for the 4th Street project on Nov. 16, 2009. The Council approved the primary project and the side-street projects on Union Street.
The report was generated by Bolton & Menk Consulting Engineers & Surveyors, who will work with City staff to develop the final design drawings for the improvements. The Feasibility Report and the accompanying presentation from the Nov. 16 Council work session are available to download in PDF form.
The report and the presentation show the proposed cross-sections for different segments of the project. 4th Street from Division to Washington will retain its current width and the diagonal parking. 4th Street from Washington to Union will be 40.5 feet in width with parallel parking on both sides of the street. That width will be maintained from Union to Nevada St. to accomodate the 5 foot bike lanes and one side of parallel parking. College, Winona, and Nevada Streets will be narrowed to 32 feet to conform with city standards for residential streets. The width of Union Street is currently planned at 32 feet, but parkig and bike lane needs between 3rd and 5th Streets may result in some minor changes in those blocks.
Arborist Report
The City has received the assessment and recommendations for boulevard trees along the project corridor from S & S Tree Specialists. The report states that 9 trees within the project right-of-way are recommended for removal before the project starts for reasons of health, safety, or likelihood of significant damage by the construction work. Two additional trees are recommended for removal in the near future due to health and safety reasons. All eleven trees are deemed at-risk by the arborist and will require attention regardless of the project. Numerous other trees are noted for pruning before or after the project to avoid damage by the construction or to remove existing portions damaged by disease or age. The complete report is available for download (PDF).
Project Questionnaire
We have developed a brief questionnaire for residents and property owners directly along the project corridor. As the infrastructure (water and sewer) is replaced beneath the street the homes and businesses along the project will have their service lines reconnected. If there are known problems with your service lines you may take this opportunity to let us know so that we can plan to work with you to address them during the project. Also, please let us know if there are any local water drainage problems that occur after storms or snow-melt. The questionnaire will be available at the first two public meetings (Oct. 22 and Nov. 5, 2009) and is also available as a PDF file for download. Please return your responses to the questionnaire to City Hall, by mail to the address on the sheet, or at the second Open House on Nov. 5, 2009 at City Hall.
Past Project Meetings
Apr. 20, 2010 - City Council will hold a hearing on Special Assessments, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield
Apr. 6, 2010 - City Council voted to adopt streetscape plan to replace trees within the sidewalk area between Division & Washington Sts., City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield
Mar. 16, 2010 - City Council Meeting to Approve Plans and Bid Advertisement, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield
Mar. 15, 2010 (6PM-7:30PM) - 3rd Open House, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield
Dec. 21, 2009 - Public Hearing on Improvements & Special Assessments, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield
Nov. 5, 2009 (6PM-7:30PM) - 2nd Open House, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield
Oct. 22, 2009 (6PM-7:30PM) - 1st Open House, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 801 Washington St. S, Northfield