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Lakeville public works reports road openings, water use up and progress on ADA ramps and EAB response
Summary
Public Works Director Paul Olmi briefed the council on third‑quarter operations including a forthcoming opening of 180 Fifth Street, higher water production year‑to‑date, progress on ADA ramp replacements, stormwater/MS4 inspections, and a reduced Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation count compared with last year.
Public Works Director Paul Olmi presented the city's third‑quarter public works update at the Oct. 6 Lakeville City Council meeting, outlining street, utility, environmental and facilities work completed and planned.
Street and capital projects - 180 Fifth Street (Kenwood Trail to Aipava Avenue) is expected to open to traffic on Wednesday or Thursday (weather permitting) following final striping and cleanup. - County Road 50 in the Hamburg roundabout area is substantially complete and open to traffic. Glacier Way and 100th/170th street projects have final paving and striping scheduled. - Final paving on 100th and 170th Street scheduled at month end; other street recon projects substantially complete.
Utilities and water - Water production at the water treatment plant is up about 11% compared with last year; total production this year was reported as roughly 2,170,000,000 gallons last year and is higher this year. - Utility division continues to offer rebate programs in partnership with the Metropolitan Council and Clean Water Legacy programs for household fixture and irrigation upgrades.
Operations, maintenance and environmental work - Street division preparing for fall: tree removals, boulevard pruning, pothole patching, leaf sweeping and annual snowplow training; chloride and salt uses will be reviewed to minimize salt while maintaining safety. - ADA transition plan: staff completed annual survey and reduced noncompliant pedestrian ramps from about 11% to under 1% this year; roughly 36 ramps remain to be replaced to meet new standards and the city plans to continue replacements over coming years. - Environmental resources: summer lake plant surveys show increased native plants and localized reductions in Eurasian watermilfoil in surveyed lakes (Lake Marion, Orchard Lake); lake management report to be published by year end. - MS4 (stormwater) inspections: more than 200 construction inspections to date using new software (SwampTrack); annual outfall and pond inspections scheduled for fall.
Forestry and EAB - Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) survey found 310 properties with infested trees, down roughly half from last year's survey; letters were mailed Sept. 29 to affected owners and inspections are ongoing. The 2023 EAB grant is about halfway complete; staff removed roughly 50 trees from five parks this year and plan to plant about 100 replacement trees this fall.
Facilities and events - Art Center received blackout theater blinds and new carpeting; City Hall landscaping improvements completed; Heritage Center roof replacement roughly 50% complete with an anticipated end‑of‑month finish. - Upcoming public events and recycling opportunities were listed in partnership with Dakota County and Dakota Valley Recycling, including paper shredding (Oct. 25), composting pickups (Nov. 8–9), holiday light recycling (Nov.–Jan.) and ongoing drop‑offs for furniture, mattresses and other items.
Council members thanked staff for project execution and noted positive business feedback about access maintenance during construction projects. Olmi and staff said remaining design, paving and water main work will continue through the fall and into next year.
