New Rockford street repairs estimated to cost up to $8.75 million

Monday night Wade Senger of Interstate Engineering unveiled street repair alternatives for New Rockford city officials to consider.

The firm conducted a visual observation of all the city's streets and reviewed historical data from previous street improvement projects completed in city limits. Senger noted that in many areas the base of the roadway is damaged, and potholes, fatigue cracking and rutting are common.

Much of the subgrade throughout the city has failed, he added, causing the concerns seen on the surface. As water has pooled in the potholes it has caused standing water in the streets, which breaks up the pavement when it freezes and thaws. This also causes saturation of the subbase, which results in additional damage particularly during wet times of the year.

Many of the city streets have a curb, but there are very few gutters, so the storm water drains directly onto the pavement along the edge of the street.

Senger presented three alternatives for how the city could proceed with repairing the streets.

The first alternative would repair potholes and other damaged areas throughout the city by digging out the roadway in those small areas. The contractor would then recompact the subgrade, construct a 6-inch base of class 5 gravel, and then pave with 5" of hot bituminous pavement. After the potholes are repaired, the streets would be edge milled and an overlay would be placed over the entire width of the street. The cost of Alternative 1 is estimated at $8.75 million.

The second alternative combines three techniques: total reconstruction of the failed streets, patching followed by a mill and overlay for streets in poor condition, and patch and repair the bad spots in streets considered in fair condition. All the streets would then get a chip seal. Alternative 2 is estimated at $5.57 million.

The third alternative is described simply as doing nothing. No major repairs would be completed; the city would only repair potholes as they arise by digging out the roadway and restoring the damaged area as described in the first alternative. Senger said if the city were to choose this alternative, the long-term maintenance costs would be much higher in the future, likely resulting in a need to completely reconstruct all the streets at some time.

Much of the infrastructure included in the first and second alternatives has a useful life of 20 to 30 years; however, regular maintenance of chip sealing and crack sealing is recommended every seven to 10 years.

Example of cost breakdown:

1) If the city was to finance Alternative 1 for 15 years at 3.5% interest, the annual payment would be approximately $755,000.

Based on the city's records from previous assessments, there is 100,074 linear feet of street frontage. Therefore, the cost to property owners would be approximately $7.55 per foot of frontage owned.

The average residential home has approximately 50 feet of frontage, which equates to a total annual payment of approximately $377.50.

2) For Alternative 2, the annual payment for a property owner with 50 feet of frontage is estimated at $242 per year.

As the population of New Rockford has remained relatively consistent over the past 20 years, Senger said they determined the street project would be sustainable.

City officials passed a resolution to move forward with street improvement plans, and later appointed Jerry Seibold, Ardyce Snyder and Corey Longnecker to the three-member assessment committee.

Public hearings on the proposed improvements will be held on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Residents need only attend one meeting, as the same information will be presented at each. Property owners who do not agree to the proposed improvements have the opportunity to prepare written protests against the project until November 10 at 4 p.m.

A full-color map illustrating the current conditions of the streets, as well as information about upcoming public hearings on the proposed improvements, can be found on page A2. Large format maps of the current street conditions and the proposed improvements, as prepared by Interstate Engineering, are available to view during business hours at New Rockford City Hall.

New Rockford Fire Chief Todd Allmaras made a Fire Prevention Week visit to the city commission.

He reported that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) conducted a field survey of the community's fire protection recently. The ISO rating they assign is a measure of how prepared the area is to respond to fires. The rating is determined by evaluating four areas, including the local fire department's personnel, capabilities, training, equipment, etc. (50 points); water supply (40 points); emergency communication systems (10 points); and community risk reduction (extra credit of up to 5.5 points). The best possible ISO rating is Class 1, and the lowest Class 10.

New Rockford continues to have an ISO Class 6 Rating.

"There were some areas where we scored well," Allmaras said, adding that they could use more training and need to better document training events. Insurance companies look at a community's ISO rating when determining property insurance rates.

Noting the importance of recruiting volunteers, Allmaras asked the city commission to consider a $20 per month stipend or discount on utility costs for volunteer members. There are currently 26 firefighters on the roster, and none are paid for their time.

The final order of demolition for a house, located on the 400 block of 5th Street North, was mailed late last month. The owner had questions about the cost and timeline of demolition if the city completes the work, as she had reportedly obtained bids from contractors to demolish it privately. Upon recommendation from Peterson, President Richter offered to engage in a dialogue with the property owner.

Commissioners approved housing incentives for Christina Lund, who purchased her first home in New Rockford; local gaming permits for the American Legion, New Rockford Community Foundation and District 5 NE Lions; and a building permit for Larry and Val Hakanson (storage building).

The next city commission meeting is set for Monday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.