by Dennis Dalman
Josiah Schultz of Sartell knows his main neighborhood road so well he could probably ride his bicycle blindfolded on it without bumping into anything.
Schultz, soon to be a senior in high school, has lived for seven years with his family along Riverside Avenue (CR 1). Their home is located between Seventh and Eighth streets.
Josiah is the son of Elizabeth and Brian Schultz. He has two brothers – Thomas, 20, who is a junior in college; and Daniel, 15. Brian is a civil engineer, Elizabeth has a hat business on the Etsy website and is in the process of writing a book.
Lately, the road Josiah knows so well has been a mess: gaping trenches, ripped-up asphalt, sand and dirt exposed to rains, mud, detour signs, caution signs, heavy construction equipment, stacks of water and sewer pipes. That’s all because CR 1 is undergoing a total remake, one of the most extensive, ambitious road projects in Sartell history.
All of the mess and commotion is just fine with Schultz. He is so fascinated, so excited about the project that at least once a week he rides his bicycle on the road to various construction tasks underway. He videos what’s going on and gives an audio update for his Instagram site. Thus, he can share with viewers the progress happening on and near the road.
“The road needed changes,” he said. “I like to show people the changes, the differences and what’s going on. I’ve always enjoyed living next to that road. And now it’s becoming a new and better road. Fresh and new. I like to share what’s happening on Instagram.”
In some recent visits, Schultz – accompanied by brother Daniel – took videos: of Riverside Church next to the torn-up road, of a long retaining wall on the west side of the road, of the DeZURIK valve company property, of the old 1914 bridge. As he panned his camera up and down and along the road, he gave his audio commentary on what’s happening: the trenching for water and sewer pipes, preps for adding curb-and-gutter, the old bridge (oops, no progress on it just yet). Schultz comments that Phase 2 of construction has begun and how Phase 3 (the last phase) will start soon.
Schultz is keenly interested in roads. Is it any wonder that his father is a civil engineer?
“Dad knows a lot about roads,” Schultz said. “He informs me.”
Schultz is also fascinated by elevators and their inner workings and safety mechanisms. Not surprisingly, his favorite school subjects are math and science, and he loves to play trumpet in the marching band. After high school, he plans to study at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.
Another hobby of Schultz’s is traveling. In fact, he did a phone interview with the Sartell Newsleader while he and his family were in Deadwood, S.D. After that visit, they headed east to Massachusetts and Maine.
As much as he’s enjoying the family vacation, however, Schultz admitted he has a hankering to get back home, back to Riverside Avenue so he can get close-up looks at how things are going on Phase 3 road construction.
This is a screen shot of a video taken by Josiah Schultz of Riverside Avenue (CR 1) in Sartell, taken during the ambitious, comprehensive reconstruction project now underway. Schultz, 17, has been updating each phase of the project because he lives along that roadway and because he is keenly interested in roads and road improvements.
Josiah Schultz stands at the bottom of Devil’s Tower during a recent family vacation that included Western states and Northeastern states.
