09.d4 Gateway Trail Project Funding Staff Report
Date of Meeting: March 18, 2025
For: Honorable Mayor and Council
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Subject: Gateway Trail Project Funding Update
The City, its engineer, the County, and the DNR meet monthly to review the Gateway Trail
project. During the February meeting, Project Engineer Isiah Bubany gave the group an updated
cost estimate of $4.7 million. This is a considerable increase from the last cost estimate
provided in May 2024, which was $3.5 million. After removing contingencies from these
estimates, the current increase in cost is projected to be $958,159. The attached memo from
Engineer Bubany outlines the reasons for the increase. The original project estimates date back
to 2019 and 2021. Unit costs have increased significantly since then. In addition, the project's
scope has changed, which has added cost to the project.
The City received $2.689 million from LCCMR in 2023. Washington County has also allocated
$800,000 to the project in their CIP for 2026. This brings the total available funding to $3.689
million, enough to cover the project estimate for 2024 but not enough for the revised 2025
estimate. The City has no money allocated for this project and cannot make up the funding
gap.
On Monday, March 10, all parties involved in the Gateway Trail met to discuss the overage and
what it may mean for the project. The DNR representatives clarified that this is not unusual
with LCCMR applications. Application deadlines are a year before approval, and construction
begins a year or two after approval. It is natural for the final project cost to be more than the
original estimate. They suggested waiting until final bids are received in December to see how
much of the current project scope can be completed. Once that is known, a plan can be put
together to fund the remaining parts of the project if needed.
Project Engineer Bubany will be at the March meeting to answer any questions you might have.
Attachments:
Memo from Project Engineer Isiah Bubany