8.f March Public Works reportf
SCANDIA
April 1611, 2019
Public Works Staff Report — March 2019
Roads and Right — of — way
- Right of way maintenance has continued with brush mowing and tree pruning.
Brushing in the right of way was completed in the NW quadrant of the city. Tree
pruning by staff was completed along Lakamaga, 196th, and areas along Mayberry
where trees and branches were over hanging the road. Tree pruning along the
corridor of Langley Ave. N. from 185th to 191stwas contracted out to remove those
limbs and branches that were out of the reach of the PW staff.
- Staff responded to two snow events and continued with 8 days of road
maintenance and deicing afterward. There was one call out to attend to icy road
conditions where re -freeze had occurred on Mayberry.
- Most of the fleet and equipment is back to full operation. The tandem dump truck
is back in service and repairs seem to be complete this time. The New Holland
skid steer will need to go into the shop again to seek out the mystery leak of anti-
freeze again. The purchase of the budgeted new 1 ton is on hold until Dodge and
Chevrolet/ GMC release their pricing.
- Addressing drainage issues was very time consuming and costly to the city due
to the early rain and frozen ground. Some culverts were cover by snow removal
efforts of citizens which created back up of water into adjacent yards. There were
three instances where deferred maintenance to culverts contributed to drainage
issues but none impacted homes. Public works is adopting a more pro -active
approach to storm water management.
- Scandia received notice from Washington Co. Emergency services: To all cities; If
your city is not a river community but it was affected by flooding due to the melting snow pack,
frozen culverts, extreme water runoff, etc., and you had costs mitigating the effects of those
conditions, we want to hear about it from you. If those costs are eligible, they can be applied to
the county's dollar threshold to qualify for state or federal reimbursement. There are eligibility
requirements for what can be applied, but we will help you work through those.
Staff is in contact with Washington County and will share any information that is
relevant to our participation of providing our costs due to the early rain, frozen
ground, and frozen culvert conditions. Costs so far include culvert jetting -
$2,000, Bliss sewer costs — about $9,500 and staff overtime.
- Road conditions were reviewed by staff and engineering and will be prioritized for
the discussions during the CIP process on road projects slated for 2020 and
2021.
Sewer — Water:
- Regular sample collections and reports were completed for the 201 systems. The
early rain and snow conditions caused a great deal of impact to the system.
Flows were very high. The Bliss system required coordination of pumping efforts
to aid the system in handling all the extra infiltration and inflow. The full cost of
the actions required is in the neighborhood of $9,500 dollars. We have yet to
receive the costs for adding the effluent to the Chisago Lakes Area treatment
system.
- The Bliss sand filter and lift station #3 continue to have issues with excessive
pumping and effluent acceptance into the filter. Staff is working with contractors
to identify the problems and resolve them.
- Pump #2 at Lift station #2 ceased operation. Staff replaced the non -operational
unit with one of the salved pumps from the station last year. The new pump
should still be under warranty thought there will be a cost for the labor and travel.
- The Director of PW noted the alarm on the Uptown lift station was alarming more
than usual. These alarm events were not related to the early rain event. After
consultation with the engineers, the pumping time was increased and how often
the pump run was decreased to match the flow reported at the system. This
should provide more accurate flow reports and minimize alarms by the system.
Parks:
- Staff is working on several projects with the PRC to improve services to the
community and to its visitors. We have been pursuing several grants and have
received confirmation of approval for the MN Health Dept. SHIP grant through
Washington Co.. The grant will help facilitate purchases supporting cyclists
visiting Scandia and aid in providing resources for citizens using the recreational
facilities around the City Hall area, with the condition of council's support.
- Staff has worked with PRC to provide the best quotes for the replacement of the
skate park ramps. The ramps are durable and built to accept the skid steer forks.
The fork slots will enable PW to efficiently more the ramps for storage.
- The Goose Lake landing dock was upgraded with replacement boards for those
that were rotting or failing. The ramp was also rebuilt due to the condition of the
boards and the hinges.
Other:
The city lights south of Oakhill along Olinda Tr. are tripping the breaker similar to
what the lights north of town were doing last year. When weather is conducive to
searching for the ground fault, PW will work with an electrical contractor to
resolve the issue.