BAXTER — Streets identified for needed work in Baxter are moving into final design with bids expected in early April and construction this year.
On the list for work in the commercial sector is a heavily used street — 5,680 feet of Clearwater Road — from Inglewood Drive to Edgewood Drive.
Plans call for a full depth reclamation on Clearwater Road, which means the existing pavement is ground up, compacted for a base and fresh pavement is put on top — 6 inches of it for Clearwater where a residential road typically gets 3.5 inches of new pavement. Scott Hedlund, engineer, principal and senior project manager with Short Elliott Hendrickson, provided an update on the street work plans to the Baxter City Council, Tuesday, March 7.
The residential roads projected for the same treatment of grinding up pavement, compacting it and putting on fresh pavement are:
- Cedar Scenic Road — from Oakwood to Memorywood drives.
- Oakwood Drive — from Cedar Scenic Road to Michelle Circle.
- Forest Drive — from Excelsior road to Clearwater Road.
- Fox Road — from Forest Drive to 1,040 west.
- Fox Place — from Forest Drive to 200 feet east.
Paved trail extensions are planned on the southside of Clearwater Road from Inglewood to Edgewood and along the north side of Cedar Scenic Road from Oakwood to Memorywood.
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For other future plans, the city is considering extending sanitary sewer and water to the South Forestview Drive neighborhood in 2024. The project is proposed to include sanitary sewer, water, streets, stormwater, bike lanes, street lights and bike and pedestrian trails.
Those affected in the neighborhood are on:
- Forestview Drive, south of River Vista Drive.
- Maryland Road,
- River Vista Drive,
- River Vista Court,
- Medford Road,
- Riverwood Road,
- Parkview Circle.
“The sanitary and water mains are planned to be constructed within the public road right of way and the impacted streets would be reconstructed,” the city reported, noting an intention to levy special assessments on benefiting property owners.
Tuesday, the council ordered a feasibility report from Short Elliott Hendrickson on the South Forestview improvements project. The cost is not to exceed $14,974. The preliminary report is intended to tell the council whether the project is needed and feasible, provide an estimated cost and whether there may be other projects it could be connected with and provide an idea of what the assessments would look like for residents.
In other business, the council:
Heard an update on how the city utilizes banking services with a checking and money market account for short term payments or upcoming projects currently with Bremer Bank and investments with other banks, typically larger institutions, for certificates of deposit, investments in bonds or treasuries. Council member Zach Tabatt, who sought a larger discussion on how the city picks banks to do business with, said he was still in favor of opening the door to see what other institutions may have to offer for the checking and money market account and setting up a 5-10 rotation to go back out and see what the market has to offer. The city has banked with Bremer for decades. Council consensus was in favor of that move later this year.
Approved spending $8,092.42 for dugout repairs at Berrywood and Oscar Kristofferson parks.The 20-year-old dugouts were damaged in the June 20, 2023, thunderstorm. The city will be reimbursed $4,694 from its insurance coverage. The contractor will be Driftwood Enterprise with an expected completion date of May 15.
Approved an agreement, not to exceed $12,500, for engineering services with Widseth for the Loren Thompson Park capital asset management plan, which means looking at maintenance and reconstruction recommendations, a maintenance budget, and inventory of park amentiies and equipment. The evaluation is expected to include fields, buildings, playground equipment, signs, irrigation, lighting and utilities, picnic tables, bleachers, fencing, nets, scoreboards, trees and ground cover, parking lots, sidewalks and pads along with trails. The report is expected to be presented before the City Council on June 6.
After negotiations, agreed to pay $8,000 to purchase an easement for land on the 2023 Cypress Drive and Douglas Fir Drive project. The city offered $2,000. The property owner countered with $10,000. The council discussed the offer and the potential to start condemnation proceedings during a February closed session. In the end, the council and land owner accepted the counteroffer and the council, which looked at the cost of going through the condemnation, approved a quick claim deed for the property with land fee owners Minneapolis Area Investment, Crosslake.
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Recognized a joint powers agreement between the state, city of Baxter and its criminal prosecutor Severson Porter Law. The agreement means the city prosecutor has access to criminal justice data used by law enforcement.
Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchBizBuzz.
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