Blue Earth talks street improvements

BLUE EARTH-- The Blue Earth City Council met on Monday evening to discuss 2022's street improvement plans and their inevitable companion: property assessments.

City engineer Wes Brown presented the council and assembled members of the public with a detailed plan regarding which streets will be going under the drill next year.

Brown shared maps detailing plans to reconstruct First Street from Main Street to Gorman Street, and Gorman Street from Seventh Street to First Street.

The area around Galbraith Street will also receive some attention. Fourth Street from Galbraith Street to Rice Street will be reconstructed, and a block of Galbraith Street before the railroad tracks near Leland Parkway.

Finally, also facing reconstruction will be a small leg of Moore Street between First Street and the railroad tracks, and a small half-block by Blue Earth Monument.

Additionally, included on the schedule will be two blocks of Galbraith Street between Third Street and Fifth Street, some of which will only be slated for mill and overlay.

"Those of you who live out there know what street conditions are like,"  Brown reasoned. "There is a lot of deterioration on the pavement, narrow streetwidths, and the sewer is in pretty poor condition as well."

Brown explained the project's objectives include improving street surface conditions, reducing sewer inflow, infiltration, and obstructions, increasing water system flow capacity, replacing deteriorating infrastructure, and decreasing maintenance.

Of course, all of these improvements come with a cost.

Brown estimates assessment rates using a three-year rolling average of the Blue Earth area, producing a fairly accurate guess as to what residents will have to pay in assessment fees.

As of now, the estimated project cost sits at $5,139,565, with Blue Earth residents being assessed for a total of $983,534 of that cost.

As usual, applicable residents who are over the age of 65 or in active military duty may apply for determent from assessment fees.

In other business, the council also took the following action:

-- Reviewed classification and compensation study proposals from Flaherty and Hood, P.A., DDA Human Resources, Inc., and Abdo, Eich & Meyers, LLP during a work session at 4:30 p.m.

At the regular city council meeting, the council selected Flaherty & Hood, P.A. to perform the study, citing their competitive cost estimate of $15,050 and their successful services for the city of Wells as noteworthy benefits.