Sawyer County Public Works staff recommended a stepped approach for a multi-section road rehabilitation project that includes a 3/4‑mile segment along Spring Lake. The staff recommendation — labeled Alternative 2 in meeting materials — would fully reconstruct two longer segments (from Bayview to County B, and Williams Road to Norris Road) while treating the narrow lakeside 3/4‑mile segment with a mill‑and‑overlay rather than full reconstruction and fill. Staff said the mill‑and‑overlay option would avoid filling the lake shoreline, reduce requirements tied to federal funding rules, and produce a longer life for the reconstructed non‑lake segments.

Why it matters: design choices for roads that abut lakes can trigger environmental review, shoreline impacts and additional right‑of‑way costs; a full reconstruction that shifts the road alignment into the lake would increase project cost and require more complex approvals. Staff advised the mill‑and‑overlay approach for the lakeside section to avoid direct lake impacts and limit county expenditures for shoreline works.

Staff briefing: County highway staff told the committee that the full-reconstruction option would likely push the project schedule toward 2030 because of additional right‑of‑way, shoreline mitigation and higher cost. Using the mill‑and‑overlay for the 3/4‑mile lakeside segment would allow the county to preserve the road alignment and avoid lake fill; staff characterized right‑of‑way needs as mainly temporary limited easements (TLEs) for access to perform the work, not permanent shoreline acquisition. If right‑of‑way acquisition proceeds promptly, staff said construction could take place in 2027; if not, the schedule would shift and construction may occur in 2028.

Budget and funding: staff said that estimates are being updated and that a full reconstruction across the lakeside area would increase costs substantially. Staff noted that rebidding the project with the lakeside reconstruction removed reduced overall estimate in their preliminary work; staff also said federal funding requirements complicate the lakeside recast and that avoiding lake fill would save money. For context staff also reported county-level aggregates such as salt procurement — the county’s current salt price per ton increased about $3 and the county’s order this year is expected to cost roughly $360,000 to fill winter supplies — to illustrate fiscal pressure on the highway budget.

Next steps: staff will refine right‑of‑way and cost estimates, circulate updated numbers to the board and seek direction. Staff asked the committee to consider Alternative 2 as the preferred approach and indicated they would return with revised cost estimates and schedule for board approval.