Highway 30 Reconstruction Project - City of Rushford

https://fillmorecountyjournal.com/highway-30-project-wrapping-up-in-rushford/ Highway 30 project wrapping up in Rushford After six months, the Highway 30 Utility and Street Improvement Project is wrapping up for the year and the road is officially open to traffic. Like most projects, there will be a number of punch list items to wrap up next spring. According to the last notice, sent to affected residents November 4, asphalt paving will be completed this month, as will concrete driveways and retaining wall steps. Retaining walls will be stained next spring. Affected areas were seeded, but residents were cautioned it may take a year to establish. Residents were encouraged to voice any concerns as soon as possible. Resident Diane Engelhart addressed a number of concerns with the city at the November 14 council meeting. This included retaining wall height and set and difficulty accessing the property. "According to MnDOT [Minnesota Department of Transportation] I'm stuck with it. Maybe the city can do something about it," she began. Mayor Terri Benson noted that all concerns will be brought to the attention of the city engineer, Derek Olinger, of Bolton & Menk. "I can't make any promises, but we will take it to him and he will follow up with you," said Benson. "MnDOT is in control, so it's a little more complicated than that," noted Councilor Leigh Volkman. "There was poor planning considering the extent of the project." The amount of work yet to be done was noted. Councilor Sally Ryman echoed frustration with the communication coming from the state on the state-led project describing the vagueness of timing for particular task items. "That's been a struggle of the whole project, I think," added Benson. "They still have an obligation to inform," continued Ryman. "Communication needs to be a priority." "You can only inform if you've been informed," said Benson. "That they had to be told is my frustration. There wasn't that commitment." "It was horribly planned," stated Volkman. "They spent a lot of time considering ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act], but no way to get through mud. There were major amounts of money spent. MnDOT needs to be made aware and held responsible. There are quality standards that they should be held to." In other news, the council reviewed a number of notices. The Library Board has begun actively fundraising for the Susan Hart memorial gazebo. "Susan was the director of the Rushford Public Library for over 20 years, an advocate for childhood literacy and loved the outdoors. The gazebo would be a place where people could relax with a book or attend a program, something Susan would have loved," read the flyer. To date, $24,000 of the $70,000 needed has been donated. All proceeds will go to the gazebo. Those interested in donating or finding out more should contact the library or donate at www.givemn.org/story/Hartmemorial. The Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program continues to go strong. Ten projects, totaling $166,745, have been completed using the gap financing program. Roughly $134,000 remains available from the original allotment. The council suggested additional details of projects done and a comparison of city versus SEMCAC-assisted projects would be interesting. Projects have included roofing and gutters, windows and siding, front porch/deck, garage, retaining wall, painting, bathroom repairs, and other interior remodeling. "There's a lot of money going out to rehabbing our existing homes, so that's a great thing," noted Benson. Deer hunting in the city wrapped up with just one hunter for 2022. It is limited to bow hunting in specific areas only. Hunters are required to complete a number of steps including training in Rochester and acquiring adjacent landowner permission, in addition to the application. The restrictions in place have kept the number at nine or less hunters each year. The annual review of Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety Administration's AWAIR (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction) program history for the city shows a very low risk. Just one accident was noted for 2022. In four years, the city has seen a total of two recorded injuries. The Parade of Lights event will be held December 10 at 7 p.m. beginning at Mill and Grove Street and ending on South Elm Street. The route will follow Mill, West Jessie, and Elm Streets. Only two items of regular business were approved. First, the renewing of standards implementing the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, particularly fund balance reporting and governmental fund type definitions. Two resolutions were unanimously approved. One relates to committing Capital Improvement Fund balance and revenues for future and ongoing capital improvement construction and committing specific revenue sources in a Special Revenue Fund. City auditors had recommended adopting the resolutions. The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Monday, November 28, at 6:30 p.m. at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend. ________________________ The City of Rushford received a Preliminary Engineering Report for Highway 30 Reconstruction Project at the September 14 council meeting. City Engineer Derek Olinger, from Bolton & Menk, was present to discuss the report, one of many steps to getting the 2022 project underway. Still in the preliminary geometric layout phase, engineers are determining the scope of street and utility improvements, as well as preparing for assessments for affected properties. The project is slated to run from the intersection of Highway 30/West Jessie Street and Highway 43/Mill Street, west down Jessie Street, joining Stevens Avenue, and ending roughly 300-feet past Southview Court. Estimated total costs for the project are $5.2 million, of which $2.86 million is state share and $2.3 million is city As of October 20, 2020, a design team has been identified. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2022. *Project information, including timeline and contacts, has been obtained through public sources. The content management team continues to pursue additional details; however, the contact(s) listed have yet to disclose or confirm any information. Inquiries should be directed to the contact(s) listed.

Division 31 -	Earthwork, Earthwork Methods.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Operation and Maintenance of Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Asphalt Paving, Rigid Paving, Concrete Paving, Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks, and Driveways.
Division 33 -	Utilities, Instrumentation and Control for Utilities, Water Utilities, Water Utility Distribution Piping, Water Utility Distribution Equipment, Disinfecting of Water Utility Distribution, Water Utility Storage Tanks.
Division 34 -	Transportation, Operation and Maintenance of Transportation.