Chickasaw County board approves Kenwood Avenue paving contract, authorizes small budget amendment

Chickasaw County board voted unanimously to award a Kenwood Avenue paving contract to Kroll Inc. and to proceed with a small infrastructure fund amendment to cover the county’s share. The board moved, seconded and approved the award after staff briefed members on costs, design considerations and funding.

County staff told the board the total cost submitted by Kroll Inc. for the project is $211,479.53 and recommended the county move forward with awarding the contract. Staff said the county’s portion for the segment under county responsibility would be $79,720.71 and that a budget amendment of roughly $11,000–$11,479 would be required in the infrastructure fund to cover the expense. Staff also said the City of New Hampton approved the cost the prior evening and will repay its portion over five years under a supplemental cost agreement.

The county’s infrastructure fund balance was reported at $501,653.45 before accounting for the project; staff noted approximately $35,000 is deposited monthly into the fund, with roughly 50% of local option sales tax going to secondary roads, 40% to infrastructure and 10% to community betterment. Staff reported $100,000 of the infrastructure funds were currently obligated for culverts, leaving additional available funding for road projects.

On engineering choices, staff cautioned that asphalt would likely not provide sufficient longevity on the Kenwood section because of subgrade and water infiltration issues. As one staff member put it, “I don’t think asphalt withstands the traffic and the heavy loads,” and the subgrade damage observed on cores suggested deeper reconstruction or a concrete solution would be more durable. Staff said bundling crack filling and slurry-leveling work on other roads could reduce mobilization costs if the board chose to include additional projects in the amendment.

A board member moved to award the county portion of the contract to Kroll Inc. for $79,720.71; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call with all members voting yes. Staff said they will obtain the contractor’s certificate of insurance and performance bond and aim to return a fully executed contract or contract signature pages for final approval at the board’s next meeting (staff referenced preparing paperwork by the coming Monday).