Watch Council Meetings Live!

Last week, I completed a test of streaming the council meeting live via the Internet. I did this using my laptop, which I use during meetings to review information in the council packets. In the future, you'll be able to listen and watch the the council meetings live at my website, http://www.ByronMNBlog.com.

To watch, simply click on the "Live! Council Meetings" link on the right column starting at 6pm. My hope is that you'll find this method convenient and tune in as time allows on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. Please note this is NOT an official stream by the City of Byron, and is only a reflection of my own quest for government transparency in Byron.

Street Project Bids Awarded

As the last meeting, Council members approved the winning bids for the 2009 street project. They were as follows:

• $7,511 to Rochester Service Company for crack sealing.

• $17,392 to Bob Braaten Construction for catch basin replacement.

• $600,916 to Rochester Sand and Gravel for overlay and seal coat.

As you may recall from my previous post, we had estimated these repairs to cost $755,000. Due to a drop in asphalt prices, the bids came in about $130,000 less than expected. Bill Angerman (engineer from WHKS Co.) and Greg Rud (Public Works Superintendent) have been challenged to see if we should take advantage of the low bids to repair additional roads (such as doing some repair work to the frontage road) or if we reduce the overall project cost. My feeling is that we'll ultimately see a combination of both.

Road construction in Byron will begin later this month.




Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

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Council Approves 2009 Street Project

At the previous meeting, Council Members unanimously approved a motion to proceed with the 2009 Street Maintenance Project. This vote occurred after we received feedback from residents at two separate Public Hearings on 4/20/09 and 4/21/09. At these Public Hearings, a detailed presentation was made by William Angerman from WHKS & Co and questions from those in attendance were answered.

Based on the Public Hearings, some confusion surrounded which roads will be improved this summer and why 20% of the cost is being assessed to affected homeowners. This post will aim to answer those questions.

Which roads will be improved?

After several months of detailed analysis of our infrastructure, a list was compiled of which roads should be repaired this summer. I'm not an expert on road longevity, so I believe the experts and their opinions as to what will give us the most "bang for our buck" in the long run.

First, they removed any roads that needed to be fully RECONSTRUCTED, because we do not have the money to fix those roads this year. Unfortunately, the frontage road is included on the list of roads which we can't afford to reconstruct in 2009. To my surprise, we also received opposition from businesses along the frontage road that this year, due to the bad economy, would not be a good time to tackle this project. We hope to do minor repairs on the frontage road in 2009 and complete the reconstruct with the next major road project.

Next, we turned to those roads which need an overlay to ensure that they do not further degrade into roads which would need to be fully reconstructed (which costs the taxpayers 5 times more).

The graphic below details which roads will receive a new overlay as part of this project:

As you can see, the list of roads (shown in red) encompasses a large part of the city.

Why am I paying for 20% of the project?

The most common question at the Public Hearings was why homeowners adjacent to roads which will be overlaid are paying an assessment. After all, we all use the roads, right? Each homeowner with an overlay will be assessed $262 for a typical lot. A corner lot would be assessed $443 if both sides were improved.

The short answer is that 80% of total project cost is being paid by all residents of the city. Only 20% of the cost is being assessed to homeowners. Furthermore, we are required by MN Statue 429 to assess a minimum of 20% of the project if we are to bond for the project. While I wish we had an extra $755,000 in our budget to tackle this in 2009, the reality is that we do not. We simply must bond for the project if we want to keep our roads from getting worse (and costing us even more to fix).

When will the work begin?

Construction will begin in June and should be completed in August. You'll know if/when your road will be worked on because "No Parking" signs will be placed along the curbs a few days before work will begin. Access to your home will only be affected for a matter of hours on the day the overlay is completed.

Who can I contact with questions?

Questions surrounding this project (or any road concerns) should be directed to Greg Rud, our Public Works Director. He can be reached at 507-775-2943 or grud@ci.byron.mn.us.




Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

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2009 Street Projects

Last evening, Council unanimously approved approximately $800,000 in street improvements for the 2009 season. These capital improvements will address the issues for 50%-60% of the roads in Byron. The exact list of improvements will be finalized after a detailed analysis this spring. As you may know, the freezing/cooling process that occurs during the spring is very hard on our streets, and this may cause additional damage.

Can We Afford It?

As you are probably aware, there is no money in our 2009 budget to fund a project of this magnitude. This means that we would be bonding for the project with payments starting in 2011. However, it is my opinion that we have ignored our capital projects for too long and something must be done now before our roads deteriorate further. Proper maintenance of our roads adds longevity to our infrastructure, which will save the city money in the long run. In the future, I recommend that we strive to include a portion of our capital improvements in our annual budget so that bonding is not needed for regular maintenance.

What Will It Cost Me?

This is a big project and we'll need your help to make it possible. Therefore, 20% of the costs would be assessed to homeowners on the roads being improved with an overlay. On average, this would be $300 to $500 for each homeowner who receives an overlay on their road. No assessment is planned for those residents receiving only a seal coat on their road. If needed, you would have the option to spread the assessment cost over several years.

What's Included?

At this time, the project includes an overlay for at least 31 streets (31,474 feet) at a cost of approximately $708,000. In addition, the project includes a seal coating for 12 other streets (9,656 feet) at a cost of approximately $77,000. As I mentioned before, the exact list will be finalized after the spring thaw and a reassessment is completed. A complete list of the proposed streets to be improved can be found on Page 54 of this week's Council Packet.

Will you fix the Frontage Road?

As you can imagine, one of the most complained about streets in Byron is our Frontage Road. Due to years of adding new businesses along the Frontage Road, sewer and water lines have been dug across the road to tie into existing infrastructure. Over time, this has caused "swells" in the road which come and go with the freezing/thawing seasons. To completely fix the Frontage Road, a full reconstruction (base, curb, gutter, culverts, turn-lanes, etc) would be required at a cost of over $750,000. Considering that some of the Frontage Road may be re-aligned as further improvements are made to Hwy 14 (overpasses, entrance closures, etc), some feel it would be fiscally irresponsible to spend this much money on something that may be destroyed later.

Well, We Can't Just Ignore It?

At the Council Meeting on 3/11/09, I did recommend that we don't ignore the Frontage Road completely as part of this project and see what can be done to make this road respectable for several more years of use. In my opinion, the likelihood of an overpass coming to Byron in the next 5 years is very low. We simply can't wait (and do nothing) to the Frontage Road in the meantime. Our city engineer and Public Works Director have been challenged with coming up with a solution that will improve our Frontage Road in an affordable manner.

When Will Construction Start?

Here is the proposed timeline for the 2009 Street Project:

March 25: City Council accepts feasibility study, authorizes plans
April 22: WHKS, Inc. presents plans and specifications
May 13: Public hearing for assessing 20% of the project
June 10: City council awards contract to lowest bidder
June 29: Construction work begins
September: Construction work completed
October: Council authorizes the sale of bonds for the project

Comments?

If you have thoughts about the 2009 Street Project, please feel free to do so by leaving a comment on this website. Alternatively, you can contact your City Council Members directly.



Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

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