City engineers told the International Falls City Council on July 21 they are studying whether to relocate a storm sewer in the Stenberg Addition from the street into green space as part of the ongoing street-improvement project, and that project funds from full-depth patch work could be redirected to cover the cost of moving the line.
Why it matters: Residents in the Stenberg Addition have reported storm piping that appears to be lifting; engineers say increasing cover over the pipe and downsizing an oversized trunk line could stabilize the sewer and prevent future movement.
Technical update: Dean Hellstrom, senior project manager, and City Engineer Jason Fisher said the original plan called for a mill-and-overlay and full-depth patch over an area with an existing storm sewer. Spring investigations showed the sewer had under-3-foot cover and was oversized—likely intended for future development that has not occurred—and that recent additional trunk lines reduce the need for the larger diameter. The team is considering relocating the storm from the street to the green space in the right of way to gain pipe cover and reduce movement. That will require meeting on-site with the contractor and verifying gas-line locations before finalizing which side of the street to use.
Funding and process: Staff said they could transfer funds budgeted for full-depth patching to pay for the storm improvement; they also noted cost savings elsewhere in the project that would offset the change, and said they expect the overall budget to be manageable. Council asked that staff bring the detailed estimate back to the Public Works Committee for review and for the committee to recommend whether the change should be returned to council for approval.
Community outreach and next steps: Staff announced a neighborhood meeting for Ninth Street property owners the following week and said work on the Ninth Street project will begin likely in August, with tree removal and grubbing in the project area. When available, staff will present detailed relocation cost estimates to the Public Works Committee for a recommendation to the full council.