09.d PW_Staff Report
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: 8/16/2022
For: Honorable Mayor and Council
From: Charles Fischer – Director of Public Works
Subject: Staff Report
Roads/ROW:
Public works staff performed a large patch on the old section of Mayberry Trail south of 205th.
There is a section between 13407 and 13555 Mayberry Trail which the subgrade of the road has
begun to fail. The tire tracks in the road were depressed and the asphalt was severely cracked.
City staff applied 5 tons of asphalt to fill in the damaged area. This repair is temporary until the
scheduled road reconstruction project can correct the soils beneath the road surface.
Continued maintenance in this area will be required until the road is reconstructed.
The scheduled crack sealing and centerline re-striping for 2022 has been completed within the
last month. Next years center line striping and crack sealing are being reviewed and will be
scheduled next spring.
Calcium Chloride application to the southern gravel roads will be completed by the end of the
month. The lack of wet weather in the month of July has caused the road surface to dry out and
additional calcium chloride is required to continue road stabilization and dust control.
Fortunately, a soaking rain recently has provided enough moisture to recharge the moisture
levels in the road until an application can be made.
Sewers:
Operation of the City’s sewer system has continued this month with minimal issues. Tank
pumping to reduce sludge build up has been scheduled to be completed by November of this
year. This routine maintenance practice takes place in the tanks within the homeowner’s
property where most to all of the sludge is collected before entering the main sewer line
running to the drain fields.
Bolton and Menk has requested Public Works add three waste water sample collections over
the next three weeks to monitor Nitrogen level differences between influent and effluent waste
water from the sand filters in the Bliss system. This information will be added to the report they
are preparing for the MPCA.
Parks:
Public Works staff have been busy at Lilleskogen Park with trail improvements and completing
the donation bench pads and bench installation. All of the concrete installation was done by
Public Works staff. Five of the six pads are now ready for donation benches to be installed.
Currently, Public Works is working with one potential donor for one of the remaining locations.
Park mowing slowed down due the dry weather in July but will pick back up again as we near
the end of August when the grass rebounds from the recent rains we have received.
Easements:
The interest of easements within the City has gained popularity in the last two years. Three
have been highly discussed whether with Council or City Staff directly. Currently three involve
gaining access to lake shore: Keewahtin(Silvan) Lake, Bone Lake, and Goose Lake. Depending on
the size, location, and terrain of these easement can and cannot be supported by Public Works.
Some short and minimal maintenance paths could currently be able to be supported by Public
Works. Long and high maintenance paths would not be able to be supported by Public Works
due to minimal staff availability outside of normal routine maintenance activities in Streets,
Sewers, Parks, and Buildings with current staff numbers.
1. Keewahtin Lake: Figure 1
The City owns a parcel of land on Kirby Ave west of Manning Trail on Keewahtin Lake. This
Parcel of land is the only known publicly owned land on the lake. The property has not been
surveyed by the City and exact property lines are not marked. Residents in the area have
contacted Public Works requesting to mark the property lines so that access without
trespassing is available to the lake for canoeing or kayaking. Brush clearing will be required to
create unimpeded access to the lake which Public Works can support moving forward following
an official survey of the property. The addition of the access does not only benefit the residents
on Kirby Ave but anyone looking for a safe access to the lake.
MN DNR Website:
Anglers fish from shore of the shoulder of MN Hwy. 97 and Keewahtin Avenue. Anglers should
note there is no parking in the immediate vicinity of the lake - be prepared to walk some
distance to fish here.
The City of Scandia owns a small, 50 foot wide lot near the end of Kirby Ave. The property is
unmarked and bordered by private homes. Anglers may be able to access the lake through this
property. Interested parties should check with the City of Scandia for further information.
Figure 1:
2. Bone Lake: Figure 2
The City owns a drainage easement on Lofton Court east of Lofton Ave on Bone Lake. This
easement was created when storm water management controls were installed on Lofton Court.
The majority of the easement has been maintained by the property owner south of the
easement and a portion of the driveway is within the easement as well. Although it is publicly
owned land it is not an area where lake access should be maintained. Due to current vegetation
stabilizing the shoreline, routine maintenance of the easement and foot traffic may/will cause
future erosion issues. City Staff are not in support of adding access within this easement due to
the limited number of interested residents supporting the access, future maintenance costs and
issues, surveying cost, no viable street parking to support the access and the close proximity of
the DNR boat landing. The DNR boat landing has ample parking and a portable toilet for public
use.
Figure 2:
3. Goose Lake: Figure 3
The easement which runs from Oren Rd to Goose Lake has become a highly debated topic.
Public Works would not be able to support the maintenance of this easement if it were to
become a walking trail for all Scandia residents. Public Works is not in support of adding access
within this easement due to the limited number of interested residents supporting the access,
cost to build a usable trail, future maintenance costs and issues, surveying cost, no viable street
parking to support the access and the close proximity of the boat landing on Oldfield Road. The
potential cost of up to or more than $50,000 is possible based on current construction costs of
natural surface trail systems. Not only would boardwalks be needed through the wetland areas
but at the lake shore erosion control measures would be required to reduce soil compaction
from foot traffic adding to the cost of construction and routine maintenance. With the limited
staff we currently have routine maintenance would burden the Public Works department with a
new location to maintain. Public Works proposes focusing prioritizing upgrades or
improvements to trails currently being used and maintained.
Figure 3: