Baxter City Council invites public comment on Fairview's future

BAXTER - A street improvement project had Baxter City Council members wondering how to fit proposed changes into a confined space.

Fairview Road is slated for an improvement project in 2016. Preliminary plans call for a pedestrian trail improvements from near Memorywood Drive to Oscar Kristofferson Park to Inglewood Drive. Spur connections were planned along Kenwood and Knollwood drives. One of the main pinch points comes at the Baxter Elementary School.

The school sits just off Highway 210 along Fairview Road, the service drive running parallel to the highway and between the highway and the school.

Council members recently heard details on the proposal to widen Fairview Road to 11-foot driving lanes with 5-foot paved bicycle and pedestrian lanes on both sides of the Baxter school.

The work would widen the road from an existing 24 feet to 32 feet of pavement. Ditches would be added on the north side of Fairview Road, which has both residential homes and businesses. A concrete curb would be added on Fairview's northside. Utilities would likely need to be relocated and with the limited space for poles and guy wires, it's possible wires would need to be buried. The entire project to replace the road through a full-depth reclamation (meaning the existing pavement would be ground up and used as part of the aggregate base topped with fresh pavement) is planned for the 1.5 miles.

The proposal calls for maintaining a road of 24 feet at the school, adding a 10-foot trail behind the curb by the lift station, convenience store and gas station and vacant commercial lot. The existing concrete walk could be widened 5 to 10 feet on the school's south side. Scott Hedlund, senior project manager at Short Elliott Hendrickson, said with the limited space at the school one option is to build a raised median and put the trail there. It would still mean a gap to cover on the road that is used by vehicles and buses.

"It's a constrained and tricky area," Hedlund told the council.

Council member Todd Holman agreed it was a complicated area. He suggested another alternative of putting the trail behind the school using land with the city-owned cemetery.

Council member Mark Cross said he was uncomfortable with the overall cost to the city and wondered if the 5-foot lanes and the trail were doubling up. Cross said with a trail in place, more people would like walk there than the widened street.

There are different opinions on whether children are walking to school there or mostly being driven by parents if not on bus routes. Mayor Darrel Olson noted residents who live along the street say the don't see children walking to school there.

Council member Steve Barrows asked why the city should have a spur on Knollwood. He said he didn't see a lot of value there with the additional cost when the city plans to move the signal light intersection in the future.

Costs

The trail is expected to cost $764,875. Widening Fairview Road is expected to costs $1.8 million for a combined total of $2.6 million.

Cost for the project using Fairview's existing width has an estimated cost of $1,075,942. Add the trail and the combined total amounts to $1.8 million.

Trail costs may be broken down further. The trail from Inglewood Drive to Kenwood Drive, including a Knollwood spur south to Fairview Road may cost $416,645, costs for the Kenwood Drive segment came in at $99,545, Kenwood to Oscar Kristofferson Park may be $248,684 for a combined total of $764,875.

Numbers do not include costs associated with relocating utilities.

The city plans to pick up all the trail costs.

The city would pay $1.3 million of the estimated road widening costs and $439,285 would come from assessments. The assessment rate is expected to be $68 per foot to widen the street and $65 per foot using the existing street width.

If Fairview remains the same and isn't widened, costs for the city are estimated to be $594,968 and $423,393 in assessments.

The city will host public hearings before those details are finalized.

What should the project include?

Hedlund said one suggestion is to lower the speed limit at the school from 30 mph to 20 mph for a school zone. He said having the bikes share the traffic lane in that segment by the school between the gas station and Maplewood could save $180,000 from the $1.8 million overall cost.

Holman was a strong advocate of keeping the paved shoulders as an unparalleled safety improvement. He said there are people using the road and all are safer with a fog line and shoulder, which wouldn't amount to an extra cost to keep open during the winter as a trail would. But Holman spoke of the trail being able to connect residents to other trail systems in Baxter all the way to Whipple Beach. The Fairview trail, Holman said, picks up the whole residential neighborhood. Holman noted favorable responses to the trail from the area churches and residents. He said it could be done in phases.

"It's an opportunity that is here today that may not be here tomorrow," Holman said.

Olson questioned how the residents in a multi-unit housing unit known as the White Sand Hotel would be affected and if parking would be lost. Hedlund estimated a loss of about 8 feet, saying the parking area would not be adversely affected. Barrows noted landowners in the area said they did not see a need for a separated trail when he asked while campaigning. Olson said he was conflicted without seeing children walking to school there and about how much yard residents may be losing. The council noted as the school district looks at its facilities, it's possible the Baxter school may not always be there. Cross said he was having difficulty with a street project that was once going to be a seal coating growing to be a $1.8 million project with most of that trails and bike lanes.

Council member Quinn Nystrom supported looking at the alternatives of a slow speed zone and potential back trail access.

After additional discussion, Olson noted the consensus from the council was to go forward with the full project. He said the city was putting a lot of eggs into one basket for the street improvement budget.

An informational meeting is set 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at city hall.

Key points from the Short Elliott Hendrickson report to the city include:

• A parallel trail to Fairview Road - between Oscar Kristofferson Park and Inglewood Drive - was added to Fairview's feasibility report this fall.

• A discussion with the Brainerd School District has not occurred yet. Options for future discussion include putting a trail on school property and a bus lane barrier, as well as a cost share for the work.

• Fairview is 24 feet wide and was constructed largely as a rural style section, meaning no curb and gutter or storm sewer except at the bus lane.

• The pavement is deteriorating to varying degrees. Standing water is an issue at times.

• The bus lane and raised median are in the city's right of way.

• There are significant private utilities, signs, mailboxes in the right of way on the north side of Fairview Road.

• The last major construction was completed in 1989-1990.

• A new east/west trail could connect with existing trails at Oscar Kristofferson Park and Inglewood Drive, as well as Knollwood Drive trail.

RENEE RICHARDSON, associate editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Dispatchbizbuzz .