County studies arena drainage
FAIRMONT — Calvin Saxton of the Martin County Fair Board updated county commissioners Tuesday on drainage issues at the Martin County Arena, which is located at the fairgrounds.
Commissioners believe the topic deserves more discussion, and ultimately chose to delve into the matter at a future work session, after Saxton explained things.
“When we have a significant rainfall, roof water off the arena comes back into the building due to the way the parking lot was laid in there,” Saxton said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on this trying to find a solution that would work, and along with Tom Kellander from Kellander Farm Drainage, we think we’ve come up with a solution that will solve this.
“It involves putting in a main all the way to the creek, and coming to the west end of the building with a 15-inch tile. Then existing downspouts will direct water into the tile, and we’ll also install some grates in front of the double doors on the south side and at the fair office, since it is at those two points water is coming back into the building.”
Saxton noted that the proposed plan will include removing some asphalt from along the south side of the building in order to install the tile, then restoring it afterward. Saxton said the cost for the project will be around $50,000, but half will be shouldered by the city of Fairmont.
“We’re partnering with the city on this since they jointly own the building with us, and the City Council has approved $25,000 in their budget for 2017 to complete this project,” he said.
Saxton told the board it is hoped the county will be willing to help out with the asphalt portion of the project, and County Engineer Kevin Peyman noted the plan is the best option he has seen in a while.
In other news, the board heard from Peyman regarding the intersection of Highway 263 and County Road 26 near Welcome. The intersection has been the site of frequent crashes. In response, the Minnesota Department of Transportation installed continuously operating solar-powered red beacons above the existing stop signs in 2010. However, vehicle crashes have continued and additional steps are being considered.
“That intersection came up four or five years ago when the county initially suggested looking at a four way stop,” Peyman said. “The state wasn’t really on board with the idea, and they control the intersection. They did agree to put the flashing red lights up, but now as they’re doing detailed traffic studies they’re saying the amount of accidents are too high for the type of intersection that it is.”
Two potential solutions have been proposed — a roundabout or a four-way stop. Peyman listed several downsides to a roundabout, which include cost, obtaining land and putting in a curb section that could create a snow and ice hazard.
“What they’re recommending is a four-way stop,” Peyman said. “The pro side of that is a reduction in accidents once people are used to the intersection, and the con is that traffic will take a little longer as people who are not used to stopping are going to have to stop. They’re asking that we either agree or disagree.”
Both Peyman and commissioners shared concerns that people who have been using the road for a long time will take a while to change their habits. They discussed the idea of putting up LED stop signs that would give motorists some advance warning.
Commissioners believe more time is needed to discuss the idea with constituents, and took no action on the issue.
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