Agenda - Public Works Committee - 02/20/2001

Home

P. W. CASE # UPDATE FOR COUNTY DITCH 43 By: James E. Norman, City Administrator By: Brian E. Olson, City Engineer Background: Improvement Project 00-26 consists of three phases. The first phase of the project is to maintain the ditch by excavating the deposited sediment from the ditch channel so as to eliminate the flooding of 153rd Avenue NW during periods when the storm sewer system has frozen. This phase of the project will not adversely affect the adjacent property owners, as it will serve to improve drainage. The second phase of the project is the construction of a ditch block. The Department of Natural Resources, as mitigation for the filling of Wetland l14P, introduced the requirement of this phase of the construction. The third phase of this project is the cleaning of the ditch between the ditch block and the existing unnamed wet pond to the south of the residential neighborhood. This phase of the project would serve two purposes: ensuring positive drainage once the water reaches the ditch block elevation and improve drainage in the residential area. To date we have yet to receive signed flowage easements for the parcels necessary for the second phase of this construction. Authorization to advertise for bids was ordered on December 19, 2000, and bids were received Wednesday, January 3, 2001. Twelve (12) bids were received and ranged from $37,350.00 - $146,334.00. The low bid submitted from Wickenhauser Excavating, Inc. for $37,350 is below the engineer's estimate of $40,000. We have talked with the Contractor as it appears after talking with the property owners requiring flowage easements and the status of the jurisdictional transfer of the County ditches that the project will not occur until next winter. The Contractor is willing to extend his bids to next year contingent upon similar weather conditions or we can reject all of the bids and rebid the project next fall. Also as part of this project, a permit will have to be obtained from the WMO, DNR and USACOE. The WMO permit will not be obtained until the joint powers agreement is signed. The DNR and the USACOE only require a letter explaining the project and have indicated preliminarily that there should be no problems from their perspective. Bidding this project again once the appropriate signature are obtained will be a minimal cost and will ensure that any changes that we encounter through the easement negotiations can be included in with the Contract.