Council reviews reconstruction of Harbor, Sixteenth and Dennis streets; low bid $1.53 million, property assessments planned

Two Rivers City Council met April 21 to hear details about a planned reconstruction of Harbor Street (from I 1 Ports to 16th Street), 16th Street (Harbor to Dennis Street) and Dennis Street (16th to 17th). City engineers recommended moving forward with assessments and anticipated awarding a construction contract after bids came in.

City engineers told the council the work will include removal and replacement of pavement, excavation, installation of private service laterals, grading and graveling, Portland cement concrete paving, driveway approaches and new sidewalks. “Each project is unique in its own nature, and depends on the time of year that it has bid, the complexity of the project, the length of the project, economy, other, regulatory requirements, as far as material cost, material availability, etcetera,” said Matt Hackenley, the city engineer, explaining why the project’s per‑foot assessments appeared higher than earlier projects.

Why it matters: staff said the streets and buried utilities are old — water mains under parts of the project date to 1905 and 1914, storm sewers to about 1946, and the pavement base and overlays to mid‑20th century — and that replacing undersized water mains and failing storm infrastructure is a key driver of the scope and cost.

Key facts and funding - Low qualified bid: Bin Construction Company, base bid $1,531,442.38 (four competitive bids received). City staff reported the bids were “tight,” with roughly a 10% spread top to bottom and under 2% between the first and second bids. - Assessments: staff presented a final resolution authorizing special assessments for property owners to pay for private service laterals and certain frontage work. Staff said the current practice has the city absorbing roughly 70% of the assessment amount while property owners pay about 30%; under the city’s written assessment policy the split would be 25% city / 75% property owner. That change in practice was disclosed to council as having been made years ago without explicit council approval. - Grants and loans: private‑side water service replacements will be eligible for a $2,500 EMR grant per property to offset most private connection costs; the city reported it is pursuing 0.25% one‑year financing through the Department of Natural Resources for right‑of‑way work on laterals. Staff said TID (tax increment) funds used on prior projects are no longer available for new costs in that district.

Council members asked why the assessment numbers looked higher than the 2023 Lincoln Street project; engineers said Lincoln had narrower terraces and greater length (economies of scale), while the Harbor/16th/Dennis project has terraces of 8–12 feet that add concrete volume. Staff also noted the engineer’s cost estimate and the low bid were in alignment.

What the council did: the item proceeded through the public hearing and staff presentation and was identified on the agenda for action on the final resolution and for award of contract. Staff said they were “anticipating the award of the contract” and moving forward with the proposed assessments. The transcript does not contain a completed roll call or final recorded vote on the resolution or contract award within the provided excerpt.

Next steps and context: staff will return with procurement/contract paperwork for formal award and with assessment documents. Council members also noted they will need to revisit the city’s assessment policy and the prior informal change in the city/property split.