Carbide Grader Blade

There’s a new tool in the tool box for road maintenance.  This is a carbide tooth grader blade.  This will be used primarily for gravel roads but it can also be used in the winter to break up icy surfaces.  The blade has replaceable “teeth” that rotate. 

In the past year or so the city has been attempting to better the surfaces of gravel roads.  Rather than grading them flat we are trying to establish and maintain a crown in the center of the roadway.  This helps with drainage and to some extent limits some erosion of the roadway surface.  Water is able to shed to the side of the roadway rather than running down the road.  A packer was also acquired that mounts on the back of the grader.  With the packer downward pressure is applied on the newly graded surfaces to help it maintain the crown and stabilize it.  This change in approach has also helped minimize the need to grade as often as the surface seems to be more durable. 

Taking this to the next step is where the carbide tooth blade comes in.  With the tooth design gravel can be stirred up to create a “fresh” surface.  The fine materials that typically float on the surface can be incorporated into the gravel and a new surface is established using the existing road bed materials.  With replaceable rotating teeth resistance on the blade is minimized saving fuel and allowing for the breakup of larger rocks that may be part of the road materials.  With these new approaches being added we hope to further minimize the need for repeated grading becoming more efficient with road maintenance and resulting in better overall surfacing.

These changes to the roads will take some time to see the benefit.  Roadways were traditionally bladed somewhat flat so it will take some time to build the crowns and reclaim the surface.  All in good time improvements are being made to operations which will eventually translate to better roadway surfaces. 

As a side benefit to this new tool it gives us an option to break up ice covered roads.  Generally you think of salt to accomplish ice removal on roadways.  This is a traditional approach that works most of the time.  This doesn’t however work well when temperatures are below about 15 degrees. The sun can help but breaking up the surface somewhat with groves provides for better traction while weakening the icy surface.  Having this texture also allows for salt to stay on the roadway longer giving that time to work when temperatures rebound. 

We applaud the Public Works crew for constantly looking at new approaches to find solutions that better operations and performance of the roadways that serve the public.      

New City Administrator

I have given notice to the city that I intend on retiring on March 15, 2018.  The city has taken the step of hiring David Drown Associates to do an executive search for my replacement as City Administrator Clerk/Treasurer.  The council, at their November meeting, reviewed materials that will be available as part of the recruitment process.  A Position Profile was approved and dates were established for the selection of the finalists and interviews. 

Applications will be received until December 6, 2017.  Once received, they will be screened to select semifinalists.  These individuals will complete a questionnaire and accomplish a personality index.  With the selection of the semifinalists the city council will meet in a special meeting on January 4^th to select five or six candidates for interviews. 

All the finalists will then undergo a background check.  A criminal background check will be done at the county, state and national level.  The sex offender registry is checked.  Social Security number, employment and education are verified.  Finally there is also a Credit Check accomplished.  Prior to the interviews the finalists will also undergo an intellectual profile dealing with verbal, mathematical, logical and mental aptitudes and abilities.    

Interviews will be conducted by the city council on January 25^th at a special meeting which will likely start about noon and go until early evening.  It is hoped that a candidate can be selected at the conclusion of that meeting and an offer can be made to the selected person. 

It is anticipated that the selected person could start as early as February 26^th.  If they start then that will provide some time with an overlap to get up to speed on the activities and issues of importance with the city.     

Fishing Boardwalk Lighting

The Fishing Boardwalk has been somewhat a work in progress.  We installed it in a way that was hoped would work only to find unsuitable soils and too shallow of an area near the boardwalk to fish.  The channel was established by excavating what was a swamp with the soils being largely peat.  The peat was about 22 feet deep making it difficult to establish poles for a foundation.  After looking at a number of different approaches we settled on a floating pier and excavated the immediate area to assure there was adequate depth to allow for the floats.  This has worked well. 

The use of the fishing boardwalk has increased and with the season of changing sunsets a request was made to get some lighting at the boardwalk.  The city doesn’t have street lights so the question needed some research.  We worked with Crow Wing Power to review the site and they stated the power pole we were thinking about did not have a transformer to support a light.  They also felt the pole we were thinking about was probably too far away to do what we wanted it to do.  They suggested we install a new pole closer to the structure. 

We had a few options regarding the type of light.  A smaller security light could be installed or a larger light they call an Intersection light.  They have a couple of options for lights, LED or Sodium Vapor.  The council considered the question and determined that a new pole should be installed to better serve the site.  They wanted an LED light but it is unknown when the power company would get the LED Intersection lights.  These are new and they haven’t received any yet.  A new power pole will be installed along with a transformer.  It is hoped that the LED Intersection light can be installed however a light of some type will be installed in the near future.   

Copperud Addition

There are very few vacant lands in Breezy Point that abut Pelican Lake.  One such property is at the corner of Weavers Point Road and North Lakeshore Drive.  This property was about 12 acres, has a significant slope to the lake and a good deal of wetlands.  This is a somewhat difficult to piece of land to develop but it is in the process of being developed. 

The property was purchased and will be developed following approvals of the preliminary and final plats.  The developed site will have five lakeshore lots and one lot at the intersection of the two roads.  The site will be served by sanitary sewer and the five lakeshore lots will be served by a private driveway.  The wetlands will be preserved along with efforts to contain runoff from the developed portions of the property. 

At the October City Council meeting plans and specifications were approved for the development of the sanitary sewer and roadway installation.  The sanitary sewer will extend from North Lakeview Drive to the northwest property line.  The private driveway will be paved and built to be 20 feet wide. 

As the developer is proposing to install the utilities a development agreement was prepared to accomplish that approach.  It includes assurances that the project will be built as designed.  The agreement also spells out the need for a surety of some form and the requirement to pay parkland dedication and escrow funds to cover the costs associated with this development incurred by the city.  This agreement was also approved by the city council. 

The developer indicated a desire to get the improvements installed yet this fall.  A number of things need to be accomplished before construction can commence.  We have yet to get the materials he needs to provide to the city.  We haven’t seen a schedule for construction.  With the construction season rapidly coming to a close we’ll wait and see what transpires.  In any event there will be homes eventually in what will be known as the Copperud Addition. 

What Are They Building There?

What are they building there?  The area at the corner of Ranchette and Co. Rd 11 has seen a huge amount of earth moving taking place.  This area had a huge difference in elevation from the north to the south, about 30 feet.  The project area includes a number of proposed buildings in the future but currently the plan is to build a convenience store and gas station at the corner. 

With the large deviation of elevations it made no sense to move dirt only for the convenience store.  Low areas needed to be filled.  High areas needed to be cut down and drainage ways needed to be created.  For now moving of the soils is the only activity that will occur.  The building is proposed to be constructed next year but there will also be an extension of the sanitary sewer through the site. 

The primary access for the site will come off of Ranchette Drive.  There will be a “right-in” off of County Road 11.  The sewer line is proposed to cross the highway in that general area.  The county has requested that land be reserved for a round-about at the intersection with Ranchette Drive.   Easements will be granted to the county for this proposed use.  Traffic studies do not suggest this will be needed at any time in the immediate future but reserving the land for the possibility is a good idea. 

The project can’t move forward without some additional design work.  Plans and specifications are need for the sanitary sewer.  The building design needs to be accomplished along with site amenities dealing with access.  Timelines have yet to be worked out.  The first step has been taken, that of moving dirt.  Along with that it includes restoration and establishment of vegetation.   Allowing the site to settle also makes good sense before construction commences.  Time will tell when the next step comes but a convenience store is what is being built, for now.