8.e Engineering Updates
City of Scandia
Engineering Updates 3/19/2019
Engineering italics = old information
• Comprehensive Plan Update
Project website updated to include status and current draft (https://www.bolton-
menk.com/clients/scandia/index.html)
We resubmitted the Comp Plan information on February 26th. The Met Council has
until March 19th to determine if our submittal is complete.
Once the plan has been determined to be complete, it will proceed through the Met
Council committee process. The status of the plan can be tracked on the Scandia
Community Page on the Met Council website at
https://lphonline.metc.state.mn.us/CommPage?ctu=2396548&applicant=Scandia
• 2018 Street Project
Weekly/current construction updates are posted on the City’s website, link is: “2018 Street
Improvements Projects”
Record plans have been completed and currently being reviewed by Public Works.
Project walk-through will be conducted in the spring, any outstanding items will be addressed and
completely prior to project closeout.
• Miscellaneous
Gateway State Trail Extension
• Specific Property owner meetings have been held on 10/31/18 and 11/14/18, ongoing
coordination has continued to occur.
• All wetland & preliminary field survey work has been completed including completion of the
wetland delineation report. TEP meeting was held on 11/30/18.
• Attended a Technical Design meeting with the DNR & City Staff on 12/19/18 to discuss
project constraints along CR 52, thus a meeting with the County has been scheduled for
1/11/2019 to presents options.
• Public Open House – March 19, 2019, 5:00pm – 6:45pm at City
Hall prior to City Council Meeting
Lilleskogen Park – Expedited Conservation Project Grant
• Staff has been assisting the City and Parks & Recreation in preparation of a
grant submittal that would provide financial assistance natural restoration
within the Park.
Bliss Drainfield System
• Been working on gathering information and will start to review results so
the Nitrogen Mitigation Plan can be prepared for MPCA approval within on
year of permit issuance.
Snow/Recent Rain – Verbal discussion at City Council Meeting
Bill Requires Release of Retainage before Completion of City Construction Projects
• Been reintroduced again, see below
• The bill would diminish the effectiveness of an important tool cities use to ensure
compliance with contract obligations.
(Published Mar 4, 2019)
• A bill that would modify retainage requirements for building and construction contracts was
amended and passed out of the House Labor Committee on Feb. 27 and referred to the
House Jobs Committee.
• The bill, HF 878 (Rep. Tim Mahoney, DFL-St. Paul), would diminish the effectiveness of an
important tool—retainage—that cities use to ensure compliance with contract obligations.
The bill author took most of the amendment offered by the League, but one disputed
provision remains.
• The importance of retainage
• Retainage is a common practice in the private and public sectors, where a portion of the
agreed-upon contract price is withheld until the work is complete to assure that the general
contractor or subcontractor has satisfied their obligations.
• In Minnesota, municipalities may only withhold up to 5 percent retainage from the general
contractor. The general contractor, in turn, also withholds a certain percentage from its
subcontractors.
• Without the ability to withhold retainage, government entities would have to rely on harsher
methods, such as litigation, to ensure compliance with contract obligations, which would
only drive up the cost to taxpayers.
• Government concerns
• Cities, counties, and state agencies testified at the Feb. 27 hearing, expressing their concerns
about a provision that would require government entities pay to retainage out within 30 days
of the “completed improvement date,” which the bill defines as the last day of work or the
last day any skill, material, or machinery is provided, whichever occurs first.
• Mark Maloney, Shoreview public works director, testified on behalf of cities. He explained
that the city’s contractual relationship is between the city and general contractor, who in
turn, works with subcontractors. There is a logical issue with this provision because cities
are unaware when each subcontractor is finished with their work.
• However, the more significant issue is that before the city closes out a project, required
paperwork needs to be turned in and punch list items need to be complete. (Punch list items
are work not conforming to contract specifications.) If the city is required to pay out the
soonest of any skill, material, or machinery provided, contractors still need to do more work
or may not have turned in needed paperwork—including required tax forms. Nevertheless,
cities will be required to pay out retainage. This proposed provision leaves cities with no
leverage to ensure contractual obligations are met.
• The Association of General Contractors also testified in opposition to the bill.
• Senate companion
• The Senate companion bill, SF 947 (Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Brook Park) has not yet been
scheduled for a hearing.