Blue Earth County approves $2.03 million share for St. Clair reconstruction under cooperative agreement

Blue Earth County commissioners on May 6 approved a cooperative construction agreement with the city of St. Clair for reconstruction work on County Road 15 and County Road 28. Under the agreement the county will carry the construction contract and the city will pay a prorated share for city utilities and participating items.

Staff presented a preliminary Schedule I that breaks out cost participation. The county’s total cost participation — including contingency and engineering and 90% of state-eligible road items — is $2,031,856.40. The city’s participation, including its nonparticipating utility costs and 10% of certain county-eligible roadway items, is $2,041,494.60.

Nut graf: The cooperative agreement is a standard intergovernmental construction arrangement in which the county administers the contract and the city reimburses a share of eligible roadway and utility costs. Staff noted potential material availability issues on some utilities and said the partners may divide the work into two years if needed to avoid late-season construction and to ensure timely utility replacements.

County staff recommended approval and noted they expect to work closely with the city and the city’s consulting engineer (Bolton & Menk) on contract administration and construction oversight. Bids for parts of the project are scheduled to be opened May 14 with board consideration on May 27; staff said they would return with schedule details and any adjustments to the two-year staging approach.

Ending: Commissioners approved the cooperative construction agreement and asked staff to coordinate schedules and material availability with the city to reduce the risk of late-season work that would require reopening pavement.