Wallsburg updates Main Canyon Road design, City Park Trail awarded under budget

Main Canyon Road design is moving forward and the town expects City Park Trail construction to start before winter, town staff said at the Sept. 5 Wallsburg Town Council meeting.

Troy Ossler, presenting the projects, said the Main Canyon Road design team aims to finish plans and move into the procurement stage so the town can bid the road before year’s end. "We anticipate getting that, as we mentioned last month, to PS and or to plan ahead in about a month. 2 months after that, getting PSA with the goal of having that project bid before the end of the year," Ossler said.

The update was framed as an information item; no council vote was required. Ossler said an archaeologist will inspect a historic irrigation feature on the Main Canyon alignment this week as part of environmental review, and that environmental clearance is needed before the project advances.

On City Park Trail, Ossler reported strong bidding: seven firms responded and six bids were within about 10% of the engineer’s estimate. He said the low bid was approximately 58% of the estimate and that UDOT awarded the contract to Geneva. "...the project was awarded by UDOT to Geneva yesterday. And so we're anticipating that it will be about 10 days and we'll have a notice to proceed," Ossler said. He added the low bidder proposed a 25-working-day schedule to finish construction.

Ossler told the council the town negotiated UDOT funds that ended up not being needed and that the project will retain some contingency funds for change orders. He estimated about $50,000 in available money that the town could use to restore items cut from the original application—benches, trees and similar amenities—if councilors choose to add them back.

Council members asked timing questions; Ossler said contractors should be able to place asphalt through mid-October provided temperatures cooperate, and recommended curtailing turf watering shortly before construction to prevent soft turf during excavation.

Why it matters: advancing the road design preserves the town’s eligibility for other grants, and the trail bid outcome leaves the town with contingency dollars and a fast work window that should allow completion before colder weather limits asphalt work.

Details and next steps: staff expects a notice to proceed in about 10 days, a preconstruction meeting and a contract by the end of the month. Archaeological and environmental clearance on Main Canyon Road is scheduled this week; those tasks must be finished before that road can be advertised for bids.

Sources and evidence: comments and schedule estimates came from the council meeting presentation and exchange with staff.

Ending note: staff said it will bring the contract and a preconstruction schedule back to council once the notice to proceed is issued so the town can coordinate site access, irrigation shutdowns and placement of any restored amenities.