Construction area extends to I-35

The Albert Lea City Council will host a public hearing next month for the second phase of downtown reconstruction — this time on Broadway from Main Street south to Interstate 35.

The council on Monday accepted a feasibility report about the project, which will be completed in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The public hearing will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 22.

The second phase — estimated at $5.87 million — calls for a bituminous mill and overlay on Broadway and on two blocks of Main Street from Newton Avenue to Washington Avenue.

Broadway is designated as U.S. Highway 65 in this stretch. The federal highway also shares the roadbed with East Main Street. West Main Street is designated as Minnesota Highway 13 until the junction with U.S. Highway 69 on the west end of the city. East Main Street becomes West Main Street at Broadway.

The project includes sidewalk replacement, guardrail replacements, storm water and culvert repairs, traffic signal replacements and installation of litter receptacles, benches, flowers and trees from Main Street to Front Street, to name a few. The medians and sidewalks on Main Street from Washington to Newton avenues will be replaced.

Albert Lea City Manager Chad Adams said the second phase will incorporate some of the same design elements from the first phase — but to a lesser extent. Because it is a highway, there will be no bumpouts, he said.

City documentation shows state funds would cover almost 24 percent of costs, and federal funds would cover almost 59 percent. The remainder would come from the city, county and assessments.

If all goes according to plan, construction will begin July 2015 with completion scheduled for October 2015.

In other action, the City Council:

• Extended the electric and gas franchises with Interstate Power Co. — a subsidiary of Alliant Energy — that were set to expire on Dec. 31 to provide time to negotiate a new agreement when the utilities transfer to Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services and Minnesota Energy Resources. Alliant last year announced it is selling its Minnesota holdings. The sale is going through the state regulatory process. The council also extended an electric franchise with Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services set to expire at the end of September for the same reason.

• Awarded a $204,000 contract with Oyer Trucking of Hayward for the removal of sludge from the storage tanks of the wastewater treatment plant. The sludge will be applied on approved land near the treatment plant.

The contract covers three years.

The other bids were from United Waste Recycling Inc. of Clyman, Wis., for $222,000 and Midwest Injection Inc. of Cascade, Iowa, for $600,000.

• Awarded a $239,500 contract with CCS Contracting Inc. of New Brighton for the Fountain Street lift station improvements. CCS Contracting was one of two to bid. The other bid came from Pember Companies Inc. of Menomonie, Wis., for $294,000.

• Awarded a $316,000 contract with Ellingson Drainage Inc. of West Concord for force main construction from the Fountain Street lift station to the Hayek Field lift station.

One other bid was received for the project from GM Contracting Inc. of Lake Crystal for $343,000.

• Approved a grant from the Broadway Ridge Renewal Grant Fund for $20,000 to Boyers Rental Properties for facade restoration at 123 and 125 N. Broadway. The grant covers half of the estimated cost of the renovations.

• Approved the first reading of an ordinance to rezone property at the southeast corner of Viking Drive and Eleventh Street.

TSB of Janesville has plans to construct 24 market-rate rental townhomes.

• Approved two appeals settlements regarding assessments for the Ninth Street reconstruction. The first was for the property at 703 W. Ninth St., owned by Aron and Melanie Attig. The second, at 1502 S. Broadway is owned by Charles and Karen Wilder.

• Heard an update from Elizabeth Wefel with the Coaliltion of Greater Minnesota Cities about work the coalition performed on behalf of member cities during the last legislative session.

• Approved a request to purchase a Ford F150 with a service box and a Ford F550 with a dump box. The vehicles will replace a 2003 Ford F150 and a 2001 Ford F350.