Council accepts 10th Avenue SE feasibility report, orders project and schedules public hearing

The council unanimously accepted a feasibility report and ordered the 2026 10th Avenue Southeast street-improvement project to proceed to a public hearing, with staff and neighborhood feedback favoring a two-lane conversion with curb bump-outs for pedestrian safety.

City Engineer (presenting) described three options: Option 1 — resurfacing and restriping back to the existing three-lane cross-section with some crosswalk and flashing-beacon upgrades; Option 2 — keep the three-lane configuration but add a vegetated center median; Option 3 — convert to a two-lane roadway with parking lanes and curb bump-outs that reduce pedestrian crossing distance from about 44 feet to ~28 feet and add mini roundabout improvements at 3rd Street SE.

The engineer gave estimated construction costs and project totals for each option: Option 1 construction ~ $920,000 (project ~$1.2M); Option 2 construction ~ $1,140,000 (project ~$1.48M); Option 3 construction ~ $970,000 (project ~$1.26M). Funding sources staff identified include assessments (approximately $180,000, largely on city-owned property), municipal state-aid (MSA) and a local grant application (LRIP) to cover safety elements, and local/general contributions for the mini-roundabout and trail work.

Matt Rinda, director of public works, and staff reported neighborhood meeting feedback that generally opposed medians because of maintenance and snow-salt concerns and favored the two-lane option with bump-outs for improved pedestrian safety and maintainability. Staff recommended Option 3 as the best balance of safety, maintenance, and cost.

Councilmember Rick Seiler moved to accept the feasibility report and order the project; Bruce Wolf seconded. The motion passed 5-0, and staff will schedule a public hearing two weeks after the meeting where the project and assessment details will be presented and a final option can be chosen.