Minutes - Council - 03/09/2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Sharon Zagaros, 9031 - 178th Avenue NW, stated it is obvious if the residents deny the sealcoating they will be held up against the wall to whatever happens down the line. She thinks there are a lot of roads in Ramsey that could be better served than their little stretch of 178th Avenue, which is in great condition. She inquired if this road is planned for a sealcoat or overlay. City Engineer Jankowski replied the road is planned for a sealcoat. He explained there are roads that are in worse condition; however, they are scheduled for overlays because they are beyond sealcoating. The City currently has a backlog of streets that require overlay. About 40 percent of the City's pavement was built between 1978 and 1983. These improvements will need to be stretched out because there are only so many dollars to work with each year. He explained the sealcoating protects the road by sealing the inside of the pavement to prevent it from drying out. Ms. Zagaros inquired if staff has checked with other cities to see how often they reseal and overlay. City Engineer Jankowski replied the cities they checked with work on a five to seven year basis on sealcoating similar to the City of Ramsey. As far as overlays go, the cities in Minnesota are doing the first overlay at the average of 15 years, while the City of Ramsey is on a schedule of 19 years. Ms. Zagaros stated she is uncomfortable with the fact if the road really does not need an overlay anything down the road will be the homeowners 100 percent burden, which is ridiculous. Councilmember Pearson stated he lives on Bowers Drive and would like to know if the part of the road that has to be redone and dug up will increase the amount of the assessment. City Engineer Jankowski replied the projects will be bid out. A contingency has been included, and the City's policy states if the bids come in within ten percent of the estimate it will be awarded. If the bids come in high, authorization will be needed from the Council. Dan Zelazny, 16861 Wolverine Court NW, stated he is present regarding Project #04-04. He inquired what the City's contribution is towards each project. Mayor Gamec replied the City contributes 50 percent to the project cost. Staff determines the streets in the worst condition and what can be done within the budget. City Engineer Jankowski noted a letter was included in the Council's packet concerning the project on 176th Lane. A letter has also been received from a resident included in Project #04-04 Hall Dover, Hunter Ridge. He explained there are a couple of areas in Hunters Ridge that have drainage problems. Staff will look at this to determine if the situation can be remedied with a concrete gutter and will attempt to do so before the sealcoating project. Normally they more typically catch these issues at the overlay stage, but they will try to address the drainage problems. Expenses relating to the drainage would be charged to the stormwater utility, not this project. City Council/March 9, 2004 Page 9 of 22