Dredge and equipment up on auction site

 

If you’re Christmas shopping online, there’s one more thing you can find on the internet: the Shell Rock River Watershed District’s dredge, put up for a silent auction to the highest bidder.

The dredge, the three pumps and the pipe and pipe seaming machine are for sale on IronPlanet, a used heavy equipment auction site. Watershed District Administrator Andy Henschel said the district set a bid window as well as a reserve price, or the minimum price the district will accept for dredge and equipment purchases. The board will have final approval of each of the sales.

Henschel said the 2010 IMS 7012 Versi dredge could be on the site for up to six months.

“Absolutely the hope and the goal is to recoup the cost,” Henschel said. “You know, that’s been the board’s expectations since we put it out for bid. I think the board is also aware of the fact that, you know, it’s been sitting for a number of years so we have to somewhat be realistic as well, but yeah, the goal as well for the district is to recoup back the sale price.”

The district’s dredge was purchased in 2012 for $340,000, while pumps, piping and other equipment cost an added $435,000.

Shell Rock River Watershed District Board member Dan DeBoer said he is excited to see the dredge out for bid.

“I think it will help with our cash flow and keep things moving,” DeBoer said.

The Watershed District is also shopping out the second contract for the Fountain Lake Restoration project. Henschel said the best value committee met Dec. 6 to review the pass-fail criteria on the four bids submitted for the project. The committee will make a recommendation to the board in January to approve the next phase of dredging.

“We got some good numbers, so we’ll see that in January,” Henschel said.

According to Shell Rock River Watershed District Resource Technician Courtney Phillips, the Watershed District just wrapped up on stream bank construction for the season for its Pickerel Lake stream bank restoration project.

“A lot of areas of the stream had blown-out areas,” Phillips said. “… the channel was more so flowing along the bank instead of the center of the stream.”

Banks were eroding and continuing to fail, Phillips said, and the stream was pushing sediment and phosphorus out into Pickerel Lake, where a delta formed as a result.

Footer logs and toe-wood help take the abrasive force out of the water, Phillips said.

Above footer logs and toe-wood, woody debris, black dirt and soil lifts were added. The streambanks will have plantings put on top in the spring, Phillips said.

Additionally, the Shell Rock River Watershed District board approved its debt service levy and its 2019 project fund tax budget. Because the initial levy estimate did not include a market value estimate due to timing, the levy approved Thursday lowered the bond fund levy by $820, down to $167,180. That $820 was moved into the general fund for the project fund budget.

In other action:

The Owens wetland restoration will continue after the Watershed District board accepted an opening bid to complete the project. Minnesota Native Landscapes submitted the lowest bid despite an addition error that added approximately $200 and was caught by Barr Engineering, a consultant for the district. The Shell Rock River Watershed District accepted the lowest bid at $129,890. The project is funded by Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources Targeted Watershed Grant money.

Albert Lea Floats will take place utilizing Golden Point funds for another year, Lakes Foundation President Brian Hensley said. The event is combined with the city’s Just Play event. The Foundation is considering early June.

“(It) may be a little chilly on the water, but get people out there as soon as we can,” Hensley said.

The Paddle Film Festival will also return for another year after its inaugural event. The date is set for May 30.

The district approved a resolution to reduce sediment and improve water quality through a wetland restoration project on the west side of Pickerel Lake.