BLUE EARTH – The 2019 North Sailor Street project in Blue Earth is complete and the numbers are in.

Blue Earth City Council learned this week that the project cost just less than $2 million.

The council held a public hearing, then certified the assessment list.

While the council members met in person at City Hall, the public could attend by phone conference.

City engineer Wes Brown discussed the costs of the project and the amount of the assessments to property owners.

The cost of the work came to $1.904 million. Broken down, the water main and water services cost was $362,625; sanitary sewer and services $319,973; storm sewer $165,636; and street surfaces, curb and gutters $1,055,805.

Of the total, $503,164 is being assessed to local property owners. This breaks down to $2,320 for each water service line to the property; $2,240 for each sanitary sewer service line; $74.64 per lineal frontage foot for street curb and gutter reconstruction; and $16.18 per lineal foot for the streets that had just mill and overlay but not total reconstruction.

The other portions of the project are being paid for by the city from its water fund, sewer fund and street fund, Brown explained. Those funds pay the annual bill on a bond that the city sells to fund the overall project.

Property owners can pay their assessments in full or in part, or have it all assessed to their property taxes over 15 years at 4.21 percent interest.

In other business, the council:

o Learned that a new economic development specialist has been hired by Community Economic Development Associates and assigned to fill out the CEDA contract with the city. The new specialist is Amy Schaefer of Buffalo Center, Iowa. She will replace Mary Kennedy, who recently was hired as the new city administrator for Blue Earth. Schaefer is Kennedy’s older sister, Mayor Rick Scholtes reported.

o Heard a report from the Active Living Coalition, including an update on a new information kiosk at Giant Park that would have detailed maps of Blue Earth, including locations of businesses, parks, trails and other amenities.