by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
An east-side Sartell neighborhood’s streets and utility lines, badly in need of repair, will soon be the subject of a feasibility study by WSB and Associates Inc.
The streets lie north of 1st Street NE and east of North Benton Drive.
The feasibility study will examine all aspects of reconstructing streets, sanitary sewer, water main and storm sewer in that neighborhood. The pavement and utilities are in highly variable condition, having been constructed in the 1970s and 1980s.
The current sanitary sewer is along First Street NW, which is a rural, county road. That line is not big enough to serve the possible future development of up to 1,200 acres in that area.
The study will research costs of street reconstruction, installation of utilities and alignment options for a new sewer system, as well as the relative benefits of adding curb-and-gutter to streets. It will also identify ways to fund the project and all estimated costs.
All of that neighborhood’s residents will have at least two public meetings during which they can give their input.
The cost of the study is estimated by WSB and Associates Inc. at $23,254. The feasibility study will start next month. There will be two neighborhood meetings announced sometime between October-December, and a public hearing will take place at Sartell City Hall sometime in January 2014. Exact dates will be announced later.
A construction start date could be as early as May 2015, with completion by November 2015.