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Hermantown advances $9.8 million Road Improvement District plan for Lightning Drive area
Summary
City engineer presented a five‑segment plan for Road Improvement District No. 452 — a $9.8 million package of road, sewer, water and an ~8,000‑foot multiuse trail — and council voted to call a public hearing to proceed.
City Engineer David presented the preliminary engineering report for Road Improvement District (RID) No. 452, outlining five segments of work around Lightning Drive, Thunderchief Lane, Getchell Road and Stebner Road and a new multiuse trail that would link City Hall to Maple Grove and the Stebner Road intersection.
David said the engineer’s estimate for the five segments is approximately $9,800,000 and described a blended funding proposal that includes DNR grants totaling $1,490,000, proposed special assessments, utility funds and a general‑fund contribution. He summarized the proposed assessment levels as $4,907.50 for residential lots and $25,000 for commercial lots and said the remaining balance would be covered by stormwater and streetlight utilities and approximately $3,200,000 from the general fund.
“The preferred option has five segments: reconstruction of Lightning Drive from Getchell to Stebner; reconstruction of Thunderchief Lane; a sanitary sewer trunk spur to Stebner with two municipal lift stations taken offline; reconstruction of Getchell Road from Maple Grove to Lightning Drive including new water and sewer; and an approximately 8,000‑foot multiuse trail,” David said. He also explained the funding assumptions and the estimated cost by segment in summary.
Councilors asked several design questions, including where the trail would run and which side of Stebner Road the sidewalk would be placed. David said the design process will evaluate east‑ or west‑side sidewalk alignment, noting tradeoffs on each side such as existing poles and hydrants on the east and wetlands, a driveway and potential retaining wall on the west.
The council voted to receive the preliminary report and call a public hearing on RID No. 452 so property‑owner assessments and the funding strategy can be considered in greater detail.
What’s next: staff will prepare materials for the public hearing required to finalize the district boundary, assessment methodology and the adopted funding breakdown. The council did not adopt a final assessment at the meeting; those amounts remain proposals pending the public hearing and final engineer calculations.
