The Minnetrista City Council on the evening of the regular meeting approved plans and authorized advertisement for bids for the city's 2025 Street Improvement Project, which targets three neighborhoods and carries an estimated total cost of about $1,500,000.

Allison Olskey, city staff and the project presenter, told the council the work covers Windridge Trail, Pine Circle off County Road 44 and the Trillium area near Highway 7. "The project consists of three project areas," Olskey said, and the city's evaluation combined surface observations with pavement cores to determine appropriate treatments.

The project scope calls for full-depth reclamation in places where cores show base failure, spot curb-and-gutter replacement in Trillium, a paved shoulder on Windridge and the replacement of an existing cul-de-sac island on Pine Circle. Olskey said reclamation grinds existing pavement and compacts it to form a new base before placing new asphalt.

Nut graf: The council's vote moves the project to a public bidding phase expected to open Feb. 5 and sets a timeline for assessment hearings and construction; the project includes both city-funded utility work and specially assessed surface improvements, and staff presented capped assessment estimates intended to limit homeowner costs.

Key details and financing

Olskey described the projected total project cost as approximately $1,500,000 based on the feasibility report. Of that, about $900,000 is proposed as the city's responsibility and just over $600,000 as specially assessed costs for surface and storm improvements. The city does not assess for sanitary sewer or water main work because those are funded from user funds, Olskey said.

The feasibility report proposes assessment caps per unit: $10,000 for Windridge Trail (the maximum threshold discussed), $8,700 for Pine Circle and $9,700 for the Trillium area. Assessments would be spread over 20 years, and hardship deferments may be available under existing city income/asset criteria, though staff noted such deferments are rarely granted.

Schedule and technical notes

City staff said bids would be advertised immediately after council approval, with a bid opening scheduled for Feb. 5. The council would order a special assessment hearing on Feb. 17 and hold the hearing March 17, when it also historically accepts bids and awards contracts. Construction is planned for June through September, with a contract provision that requires paving within three weeks once work begins in a given area.

On the pavement condition: Pine Circle (built about 1973) had pavement distress and a 2021 pavement score of about 65; Windridge (built about 1995) had a score near 68 with base-layer concerns; Trillium (built about 1994) had surface-level scores between about 80 and 90 but cores showed asphalt losing bond to aggregate, justifying reclamation. Olskey said reclamation plus thicker asphalt lifts (the city now specifies roughly 4 to 4.5 inches in some places) and preventative maintenance can extend service life significantly, with a target of roughly 40 years before a comparable reclamation would be needed again.

Public comment and next steps

A member of the public raised an unrelated parcel-specific issue about a sewer availability charge and asked the council to review or defer that assessment; councilmembers and staff said the matter would be discussed at an upcoming work session and that staff would prepare a report and contact the property owner. The council approved the street project plans and specifications and authorized advertisement for bids by roll call; the motion passed and staff will return with bid results and the final assessment allocations based on successful bids.

Ending: With bids scheduled for early February, the council's approval advances the project into procurement; staff advised property owners that final assessments will be based on actual bid prices and that council action on awarded bids will follow the advertised schedule.