9.d Public Works December 2020 Staff ReportJanuary 19th, 2021
Public Works Staff Report – December 2020
Roads and Right – of – way
Roads:
Staff continues ROW pruning for safety concerns have now completed 205th off Olinda,
Mayberry from 205th south, and are now working on Lakamaga. The county was notified by the
Dir. of PW about several dead trees in the County’s right of way within the city. Three pines on
the edge of the Uptown drainfield off Olinda and the white pine at Lilleskogen were removed.
The Dir. of PW thanked them for the timely tree removals.
PW will wait until the end of January before removing the holiday decorations. Two of the lights
have been bent, presumably by trucks, and will need to be bent back before storage. The
flower hanging baskets for this year are being ordered and will be the same combination of
annuals as last year. The Director of PW will work with Patrick at the St. Croix Abrahamson
Nursery to coordinate the date for delivery.
PW staff aided residents and Xcel Energy in entering and exiting the Dinosaur Hill – 197th area
during and after the snow event. There are barrels with traction materials in them to aid drivers
on the hill. Barrels are located at the top and bottom of the hill with scoops in them.
Sewer – Water:
Bliss /AE 201 system:
The system itself is operating fine. One new electronic valve needs adjusting and that will
occur shortly. The MPCA should be letting us know new permit requirements shortly.
Uptown sewer:
Continues to operate effectively. Once businesses and the church fully reopen, the pump timer
will need to be adjusted to the new daily average flow rate.
Parks:
Lilleskogen:
The trees pushed up when clearing for the pathway improvements have been removed.
Several hangers, branches broken and hanging from the main tree, were removed along the
pathway. PW is making an effort not to pile snow on the north or south ends of the parks and
moving the parking lot snow to the grassy area for storage instead.
Warming House / Rinks:
Rinks are open. Some benches and chairs are out for the skaters to change skates or rest.
Staff has been working diligently to re-establish ice on the rink. The 45-degree temperature
day on 12-24-20 had us starting over from scratch on 12-28-20. The goal is to have the hockey
rink open by New Years Eve, which occurred. Another round of warm temperatures is
forecasted so this winter continues to be a challenge in keeping the ice from degrading.
A new door and seal have been installed on the North side of the building. The door was
rusted and leaking air through the bottom of the door. The Midco ad has arrived and was
installed.
We have a new Rink Maintenance employee by the name of Mark Fitzgerald. He is a retired
school teacher with ski patrol and paramedic training so he has great social skills to use when
dealing with the younger users. He also has experience in the golf course mowing profession.
He has made good progress in his training on the Zamboni and the Kubota snow blower.
Please welcome him aboard if you see him in action in the community.