Last fall the city applied for a state grant that would pay
for the public landing on North Drive to be paved. The grant required some preliminary
engineering in drawing up a plan and pricing the improvements. The grant would cover all costs associated with
construction but does not cover any of the engineering costs. The estimated costs of construction are
$106,000. The grant was submitted and we
were told the state would make a determination about who would be funded in
April. We were awarded the grant so the
process of getting the landing paved has begun.
In developing the preliminary plans we had to find a way to
deal with drainage. The public access is
on North Drive which is a hill that slopes down to Pelican Lake. Once the roadway is paved drainage will
continue at a higher velocity and that drainage needs to be contained without
going directly into the lake. Crow Wing
County has tax forfeited property abutting North Drive with enough area to
provide a drainage basin. In working
with them we were able to obtain an easement on this property to create this
drainage basin.
The project requires a public bidding process which means
plans and specifications are required for bidding and construction. Plans and specifications need to be reviewed
and approved by the state to be assured it meets their requirements. The
project needs Crow Wing County approval as they will be the fiscal agent for
the grant. Finally the City Council
needs to approve the plans and specifications before bids can be received.
The City Council ordered plans and specifications for the
project at the May City Council meeting.
The cost for these efforts has been estimated at $27,200. Funds have been earmarked for these
costs. Plans and specifications will be
reviewed by the City Council at the July meeting so bids can be solicited. With any luck we should be able to get the
project completed this fall.
