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The impact of better than $4 million street reconstruction project will soon be seen in Ely.
It will be heard, and felt, as well.
That was the word Tuesday from city clerk-treasurer and operations manager Harold Langowski, who briefed Ely council members about the soon-to-begin Harvey Street Project.
“For the reconstruction they do anticipate blasting of ledgerock,” said Langowski.
Residents along the route have already received notice as part of a pre-blast survey, and Langowski urged residents to take part.
“What they do is come through and survey all of the properties that are in the zone of impact,” said Langowski. “What they are doing is documenting if there is any existing damage, cracks in sidewalks, cracks in basement, so when the work is done if there’s a claim there’s a record to go back to.”
Langowski said that information is vital in of possible blast-related damage.
“It is to the property owner’s advantage to let the people come in and survey,” he said. “If there is damage that is documented that is caused by the construction, they’ll pay for it. If you don’t allow them in and don’t have a survey done, it’s pretty tough to determine if it happened before or after.”
Langowski shared that earlier in his career, he encountered a homeowner in another community who claimed that damage was the result of blasting and “when I went to look at it, there was grass growing in the cracks but they still decided to sue the city.”
The $4.2 million project is being coordinated by St. Louis County, and will run from Central Avenue to Ninth Avenue East.
Casper Construction was awarded the construction bid for the project last month.
A preconstruction meeting was set for this week and a schedule for the project was being formalized.
Residents can keep track of the project via updates that can be found on the county’s website.
The city will also offer a link to those updates on its website at www.ely.mn.us.
Plans call for construction to occur from May to October, with Harvey Street closed to traffic throughout the balance of the project.
Intersections at Central Avenue, Fourth Avenue East and Eighth Avenue East will remain open.
Langowski said he has been in contact with the county about major events including the July 4 parade, the Blueberry/Art Festival and major baseball tournaments and asked about “making sure we can have Fourth and Seventh Avenue open during those times.”
The project has been in the works for years and design calls for two, 11-foot driving lanes with an eightfoot parking lane on each side, along with curb and gutter work.
It also includes sidewalk replacement on both the north and south sides of the street, except where there is no sidewalk currently, which is on the south side between Seventh and Ninth Avenue East.
A storm sewer system will also be reconstructed.
The project also includes a water line replacement near the Ely Steam Bath and storm sewer reconstruction on Conan Street between Second and Third Avenue East, coordinated by the city of Ely.
The Harvey Street update came during a brief council session Tuesday.
In other business, the council:
• Accepted a $344,480 bid from Low Impact Excavators for excavation and the disposal of contaminated soils at the old “Depot,” the former Wilderness Outfitters property.
“This was the funding we received from DEED this past winter, and we are awarding the contract with the understanding that the property owner will pay the difference of what the grant does not cover,” said Langowski.
The work is the next step in the proposed redevelopment of the property - with plans calling for a brewpub, restaurant and outdoor events center.
• Approved residential rehabilitation loans for Thomas Teigen and Louis Champa.
• Approved a purchase agreement for an East Spaulding lot with Christine Bleyhl for $19,700.
• Authorized payment of $500 to Mick Shusta for operating services at the water treatment and wastewater treatment plants, with council members noting that the city is fortunate to contract with Shusta - a retired city employee. Council member Al Forsman estimated that the city would be paying thousands more if it looked outside the area to contract with a licensed operator.
• Agreed to have the city serve as the fiscal agent for the purchase of a snow groomer for the Ely Igloo Club for $70,000.
