9.d PW - Staff Report
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: 5/16/2023
For: Honorable Mayor and Council
From: Charles Fischer – Director of Public Works
Subject: PW - Staff Report
Roads/ROW
Public Works staff have been working on shoulder restoration across the City. With the lack of frost over the
winter, plow damage to shoulders or turf areas was more extensive this year than in years past. Typically,
when the shoulders are frozen the plow floats or skims over the top with little to no affect to the gravel or
turf. More repairs remain but are of less extent than the repairs currently completed.
Staff have also started and currently working on adding gravel to the shoulders of the roadways. Shouldering
is part of our normal Spring maintenance routine to replace displaced or settled material. In the first week
staff completed over one-quarter of the City roads applying and grading just over 100 tons of Class 5 material.
It is anticipated this process will be completed by mid-June.
Public Works has completed assessment of areas of roadway which require more extensive patching than the
department is able to repair. Quotes are being received for this work in the areas listed below. The most
severe damage is on 240th St. between Olinda Trail and Hwy 95 where multiple locations of asphalt blew out
during the Spring thaw. A 50% cost share for the repairs on this section of road will be between Scandia and
Franconia. Public Works is estimating $15,000 for repairs on 240th and the other areas listed will range
between $3,000 and $10,000 per location.
Location: Repair to road / Closest Intersection
1: Ozark Ave / Hwy 97
2: Parrish Road / Hwy 97
3: Ostrum Ave / Oakhill Road
4: Oren Ave / Hwy 97
5: Meadowbrook Ave / Hwy 97
6: 217th St / Manning Ave
7: Morgan Ave / 238th St
8: Morgan Ave / 240th St
9: 240th between Olinda and 95 Multiple locations
10: 197th / Oxboro Ave
Parks
Seasonal Staffing:
The job posting for seasonal staff is still open to fill one position. Our most recent hire started on May 9th and
has already hard at work completed landscape maintenance and improvements. Public Works is still searching
to hire an individual which will assume most to all of the turf and ballfield maintenance. Current staff are
filtering in, between other job duties, to complete the mowing during the vigorous Spring turf growth.
Playground Project
Public Works will continue planning for an end of May installation if weather and ground conditions are
favorable. The main playground structure is yet to arrive and Public Works is in discussion with the distributor
of when it will arrive. Currently there is not a set date for delivery and the contractor which will be installing
the playground components will not provide an installation date until the entire shipment has arrived and
inspected.
Sewer
Infiltration into the septic systems has diminished since the snow has melted and water in the saturated soil
has percolated down to normal ground water levels. During the period of infiltration each system experienced
additional flow but total average daily flow for the month of April was below permit ted levels.
The Public Works Directed attended a week-long seminar in Mankato in preparation for the Service Provider
Licensing test, which is administered by the University of Minnesota for the MPCA. The test has been taken
with results coming back within four to six weeks. The City is required to have at least one employee with a
Service Provider License; a requirement of the Operating Permits for the City systems.
Staff are currently completing septic tank inspections to determine how many tanks will be required to be
pumped this season. The inspection process usually takes one to two weeks to complete. A local septic service
provider will be used to complete the tank pumping and mat erial hauling.
Buildings
Public Works, Fire and Office Staff are completing tasks necessary to complete the items identified in the mock
OSHA inspection. A majority of the issues have been resolved and a complete update will be discussed at the
next Staff Safety Committee meeting.
Equipment
The new Parks mower approved for purchase earlier this year has yet to be delivered. The original delivery
date was early May but has been shifted into early to mid-June. The vendor is waiting for the mower deck to
arrive at their facility to mount and test the equipment before delivering the complete unit. The vendor has
delivered a zero-turn mower for Public Works to use, at no cost, for interim use before delivery.