9.d Staff Report-Public Works
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: 11/16/2021
To: Mayor, City Council
From: Charles Fischer – Director of Public Works
Re: Staff Report
Roads and ROW:
Public Works and Washington County Public Works coordinated to sweep City streets and
parking lots. Washington County provided a sweeper and operator while City staff hauled the
material to our Public Works facility. More fallen trees have been cleared from ROWs in an
effort to clear as many before the winter snows build up. Public Works Street sign replacement
project has started and in the first week over 20 new posts were installed with new signage.
The week of November 8th Public Works started a second round of 20 posts to be replaced or
added to the system along with new signage. Additions to the inventory:
Stop Sign and Stop Ahead: Oxboro and Old Marine Trail intersection
Pedestrian Signage: Oxboro North and South bound traffic in Sand Lake area
Pedestrian Signage: Parrish Road – North and South End
Handicap Parking: City Hall/Warming House and Public Works building
30MPH: West bound traffic exiting Bliss neighborhood on 185th St N
Sewers:
Public Works has been collecting quotes for the addition of new meters, required by the MPCA,
to the Bliss infiltration mounds for monitoring total infiltration flow. These meters will be able
to connect to our Remote Data System for regular monitoring. Public Works will be requesting
approval for the purchase and installation of the meters. Public Works has also requested
quotes for the scheduled replacement of the blower in the uptown system. Lift stations 3 and 4
in the Bliss will have the four approved replacement pumps installed upon the delivery of the
pumps.
Parks:
The Lilleskogen Park sign will soon be completed as the brick layer has finished installing the
posts and the Mill will be completing the sign and installation.
The ice rink was cleaned utilizing the Washington County Street sweeper and our Public Works
staff. A final leaf removal will be anticipated before the snow begins for the season. The tennis
nets have been removed for the season due to forecasted cold, rain, and snow.
Winter decorations have been scheduled for installation. Public Works will remove the flags
from the light poles and hang the stars at the same time after Veterans Day. Helke Tree Service
will again hang the lights on the City Hall grounds.
Winter Preparation and Organization:
In the last month Public Works staff have been finishing winter preparations at our Public
Works Facility. This work has included cleaning out and organizing our storage yard behind the
building. Old equipment, recycling piles, dirt/gravel piles, and implements stored outside were
moved and the area was regraded and coated with materials already that have accumulated
from past projects. Public Works now has better access to material and equipment by providing
the site with more efficient usage and space. Future plans of reorganizing include the Public
Works Garage, Cold Storage Building and the Annex’s third garage stall recently vacated by the
Boy Scouts. All of these efforts intend to promote efficiency and better usage of our buildings.
Equipment:
Public Works completed the installation of plow equipment to our fleet. The dump trucks
received a full Preventative Maintenance service in the process of installing the plow
equipment. The Kubota mower was converted from summer use to winter use with the
installation of the Broom/Blower front hitch and also received a Preventative Maintenance
service. During the conversion of the Kubota, the Diesel Exhaust Regeneration system
developed a failure and was sent to a local dealer for further diagnostics and repair.
Public Works posted the Ford F250, Bolens Tractor, and the John Deere Tractor on the
Minnbid.org website. The site is affiliated with the Government Surplus Services based out of
Vadnais Heights and supports the sale of government surplus to the general public. The Ford
F250 ended on the auction block Friday 11/5/2021 and sold for $24,080.00. The Bolens Tractor
ended on the block Friday 11/5/2021 and sold for $1460.00. The John Deere Tractor and
associated attachments ends on the auction block Friday 11/12/2021. A final sale price of the
John Deere tractor will be updated at the Council Meeting on 11/16/2021.
Although original truck sale values presented to the Council were much lower than the final sale
price, Public Works assumes we fell into an ideal time to sell the Ford F250 with the snow plow.
The F250 generated a lot of attention as the plow was sold with the truck making it a turn key
snow removal asset to any buyer.