09.d1 Engineering Updates 2-20-2024
City of Scandia
Engineering Updates 2/20/2024
Engineering italics = old information
• 2024 Street Improvement Project
➢ Resident project notices were sent out on November 2nd and posted to the City website.
➢ Geotechnical report from Braun was received on November 7, 2023. Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) seems
to be a solid alternative to soil borings on our local street improvement projects.
➢ 2nd plan review and meeting held on November 9, 2023 with City Staff and Mike Isensee (CMSCWD)
➢ Anticipated project schedule is as follows:
o December 19, 2023
▪ Approve Plans & specifications/Authorize Ad for Bid
o January 24, 2024
▪ Bid Opening
o February 20, 2024
▪ Consider Contract Award at City Council Meeting
➢ All permits have been submitted with anticipated approvals throughout December and January.
➢ Bolton & Menk has met with City staff (Kyle and Charlie) to review plans again on November 20th, and
December 7th.
➢ CMSCWD was included on the December 7th plan review meeting and discussion, as well as been in contact
for project updates throughout November and beginning of December.
➢ Request Approval of Plans/Specifications & Authorize Advertisement for Bid will be on the City Council
agenda.
➢ Bid Plan and Specifications were posted on December 29th, 2023.
➢ Addendum #1 was posted on January 9th, 2024. This included grading revisions to the temporary basin along
196th Street N being coordinated with CMSCWD.
➢ Next Milestone: Bid Opening on January 24th, 2024, at 9am.
o Currently have 7 Prime Bidder plan holders
• Tii Gavo Development Phase II
➢ Watershed permit has been obtained and grading work began on Tuesday July 11th. BMI will have staff on site
for public infrastructure inspections.
➢ Storm Sewer Improvement have been completed.
➢ Sanitary Force main spot work has been completed.
➢ Sand and Gravel has been placed and compacted but still will need tolerance work completed.
➢ Bituminous base layer was paved on 8/17/2023.
➢ Aggregate shouldering was completed on 8/30/2023.
➢ Restoration punchlist will be created in spring 2024.
• Bliss Drainfield System
➢ The final permit has been issued. The assumption is that we’ll end up on Track 2, with required system
improvements due to the nitrate issue. Only thing that needs to take place in the next 6 months (February 28,
2022) is for new flow meters to be installed at the system, something we’ll begin working on. At the one year
mark (September 1, 2022), we’ll need to have a Facility Evaluation Report drafted to summarize the system’s
ability or inability to meet the nitrate limit.
➢ New flow meters were installed by Public Works at the beginning of 2022 and specific flows to the three
drainfield cells is now being monitored. Some additional nitrate testing was also performed in August 2022 to
provide additional data points and to get an idea of how much nutrient removal is currently taking place
through the sand filters.
➢ As of September 1, 2022, the Facility Evaluation Report has been sent to the MPCA. We await their review, but
based on the monitoring well samples taken throughout the last year it appears we’ll be on Track 2, with
improvements to the system needed to deal with the nitrate issue. Assuming this is the case, the next step will
be to complete a full Facility Plan by August of 2023 which evaluates the facility and its performance as a whole
and provides options/recommendations for improvements to be made. This is required by Track 2 but is also the
next step in obtaining PFA funding for the project.
➢ We met with MPCA on December 16, 2022 to discuss funding options and laid out a schedule to complete a
facility plan and apply for Point Source Implementation Grant (PSIG) funding.
➢ City Council authorized work to complete the facility plan on January 4, 2023. Facility plan to be submitted by
March 3, 2023. Also, Council authorized BMI to complete permit documents for permit modification due to
added treatment for nitrate removal.
➢ Testified at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 requesting funding for the Bliss Wastewater Treatment
Facility.
➢ Facility plan has been submitted for the City of Scandia’s Bliss Wastewater Treatment Facility along with and IUP
request and PPL application to the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority on Friday, March 3, 2023. As of June 22,
the MPCA has issued preliminary approval of this facility plan.
➢ Authorization to prepare plans & specifications for the Bliss Wastewater Treatment Facility Nitrogen Removal
improvements was requested and approved at the May 16 City Council meeting.
➢ Project plans and specifications are currently being prepared.
➢ 2024 Capital Bonding Request application has been prepared.
➢ PSIG Funding application was submitted at the end of July (2023). Received follow-up questions from the MPCA
and responses were sent at the end of August (2023).
➢ City should have gone before the MN House Capital Improvement Committee on 11/14 to present this project
with the goal of obtaining direct bonding money (another source of funding being pursued).
• Floodplain Risk Assessment
➢ Watershed District has received notification from the MPCA they did not receive the grant that was applied for.
➢ CMSCWD Board is considering allocating funding for the Risk Assessment in 2024 at their 2024 CMSCWD Budget
Workshop.
➢ The draft 2024 CMSCWD budget currently includes funding to address model data gaps for the Big Marine Lake
outlet, Carnelian Channel, and Carnelian Creek flowages. This is the first step in a multi-year process to
complete the Floodplain Risk Assessment.
➢ Application #3 was not awarded.
➢ Application #4 is due on December 14th, 2023.
➢ The 2024 CMSCWD budget includes funding to address model data gaps for the Big Marine
Lake outlet, Carnelian Channel, and Carnelian Creek flowages. This is the first step in a
multi-year process to complete the Floodplain Risk Assessment.
• Bliss Addition Stormwater Planning
➢ Watershed still working toward 90% plans based on City Staff input received in November 2022.
➢ City and Watershed have completed the MOU.
➢ Watershed/Consultants redesigning project practices after a final utility meet locate identified
previously un-marked conflicts.
➢ Due to delays caused by utilities not marked on the initial locate, the CMSCWD will delay construction
to 2024. Upon completion of the final plans, submittals will be prepared to the City for their review.
CMSCWD anticipates soliciting bids in October 2023.
➢ Revised plans were submitted to the City and review comments were sent back to the Watershed
District on January 5, 2024.
• CLFLWD & Scandia Staff Quarterly Meetings
➢ Meeting on May 11, 2021 covered the following topics:
• Permitting Update (Nick)
• Roadway Projects (Ken)
• Bone Lake projects status: SE wetland restorations, NE wetland restoration, agricultural practices
(Blayne)
• FY22 Clean Water Fund grant award – Moody Lake projects (Emily/Blayne)
• Greenway Corridor Planning & Parks Update (Nick)
• CMSCWD Management Plan (Mike Isensee)
• Regional Update – Highway 243 Osceola Bridge
➢ Project website: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy243osceola/index.html
➢ Public Meeting scheduled for May 10, 2023, 5:00pm-7:00pm at the Osceola Village Board Room
➢ Schedule:
• Environmental documentation and preliminary design: 2021 through 2023
• Final design: 2023 through 2025
• Anticipated construction: 2026 through 2027
Denise Workcuff Dmitry Tomasevich
Communications and Engagement Project manager
denise.workcuff@state.mn.us dmitry.tomasevich@state.mn.us
651-775-0025 651-245-4406
• Gateway Trail / County Road 52
➢ Survey update
• Topo survey was completed on November 7th, 2023.
➢ Soil Boring update
• AET submitted the lowest bid at $21,382.00 to perform this work and had the soonest drill rig
availability.
• AET has been authorized to complete soil boring and hand auger boring work on 11/10/2023.
• Soil Borings are scheduled to be completed within 8-10 weeks, with a report coming a few weeks after
completion of field work (Braun was at least a month behind this schedule and came in at $24,735.00).
Hand Auger Borings in off street locations will be completed earlier prior to snowfall.
• AET has been instructed to not begin any work on site until after December 19th. Once approval has
been received, AET will begin hand auger borings (HABs) and then drill rig soil borings (SBs) a few
weeks after.
➢ AET began collecting hand auger borings (HABs) from December 22nd - 26th, and soil borings on December 26th -
29th.
➢ Soil samples are currently being analyzed and logged.
➢ A Geotechnical report is anticipated to be received by mid/late February.
• Washington County Draft 2024 – 2028 Capital Improvement Plan
➢ The draft CIP document and maps showing the projects are available online by visiting the Washington County
website. City submitted comments on the CIP October 12, 2023 that were considered in developing the final CIP.
• Document:
• Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) 2024-2028 Draft (washington.mn.us)
• Project Location Map:
• 2024-2028 Road and Bridge Capital Projects Map Draft (washington.mn.us)