ABOVE: A screenshot of the Blue Earth Ave Corridor Improvement survey that the city of Fairmont has put out in conjunction with Bolton & Menk.

FAIRMONT– The city of Fairmont is looking for community input on what to do with Blue Earth Avenue from Downtown Plaza to Highway 15. The heavily used street is slated for a mill and overlay next summer and the city is planning to incorporate some improvements. The public is asked to share its thoughts via an interactive survey.

Following a community engagement session where some of the options were on display to the public, the city and its engineer on the project, Bolton & Menk, launched the Blue Earth Ave Corridor Improvement Survey on May 9. The survey will be online through the first week of June.

In can be found on the city’s website at fairmont.org.

“It’s important to get pubic input because there’s potential for some changes along the corridor,” said engineer Troy Nemmers.

Some of the main options include converting from four lanes to three lanes with a center turn lane to improve safety along the corridor.

As they’re no longer warranted, the project also includes removing traffic signals at Park Street and Prairie Avenue. While the state will not fund new traffic lights, residents can still opt for them. The other options are a mini roundabout or two-way stop signs at these intersections.

“This is a state and federally funded project so we have to meet certain requirements of MnDOT,” explained Public Works Director, Matthew York.

Beautification is also a discussion with this project as there are options to incorporate some green spaces for the street segment from Downtown Plaza to Prairie Avenue.

“It will make it a more aesthetically pleasing area,” said York.

Four different concepts are listed on the survey, which include pros and cons for each and also cost estimates.

As the survey is interactive, people can click on different areas and “like” or “dislike” an option and also add their own comments.

“You can click on a comment and like or dislike it. You don’t have to come up with your own comment. I think that will help spur some more feedback,” said Nemmers.

“By utilizing these different concepts you can actually zoom in and see what it’s going to look like,” said York.

Currently, feedback from the survey is a mixed bag with an equal amount of people in favor of roundabouts, for example, and against them.

“We need to get a better sample size to get a feel for it,” said Nemmers.

He and York pointed out that a large portion of the community uses the street on a weekly basis. The street provides access to both businesses and homes.

“This is a once in a generation project that we can do for the city and we need to do it right and in a way that fits all of our needs,” York said.

He said that if people don’t want to use the survey, or have trouble navigating it, they can contact him directly with their thoughts by emailing myork@fairmont.org or calling 507-238-3942.

On June 23, it’s planned to have a discussion at the Fairmont City Council meeting which will include some preliminary responses.

“That won’t be the final plans but we’ll take direction from the city council on the next steps,” York said.