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Brainerd committee approves routine public-works contracts, punts Front Street sidewalk until reconstruction
Summary
The Safety & Public Works committee approved several routine contract awards and authorizations — landscaping, towing, chip seal, pavement markings solicitation and an annex change order — and voted to add the requested Front Street sidewalk extension to the future Front Street reconstruction project rather than fund it separately now.
The Brainerd City Safety & Public Works committee on Monday approved a slate of routine public-works contracts, authorized a pavement-markings solicitation and agreed to include a requested short sidewalk extension on Front Street as part of a future reconstruction project.
City Engineer Jesse Dean told the committee an estimate to extend the short sidewalk segment on the south side of Front Street between South 9th and 10th Streets would be “about $25,000.” Dean said the city does not employ flatwork-certified staff and recommended hiring a contractor if council wished to advance the work.
Rather than fund the work now, a councilmember moved to place the sidewalk extension in the scope of the eventual Front Street reconstruction project; the motion carried by voice vote. Dean told the committee Front Street reconstruction is not in the city’s 10-year CIP and is likely at least 15–20 years away unless priorities change.
The committee also:
- awarded the 2026 downtown landscaping contract to Copper Creek for $7,162 after receiving two bids, Dean said; a motion to award passed unanimously.
- approved a 2026–2028 contract for towing services to West Brainer Auto based on proposals and police department input; the award was approved by voice vote.
- awarded the annual 2026 chip-seal project to Aztec Asphalt Surface Technologies for the low bid of $148,850.70; Dean said the bid was below the project estimate and the CIP amount. A councilmember asked whether the contract included an oil-price allowance; staff said contractors typically manage supplier pricing and the bid reflects a locked-in price.
- authorized staff to solicit bids for the 2026 pavement-markings project. Dean said new quantities discovered while preparing the plans (for example College Drive) raised this year’s estimate to about $29,000 compared with the $20,000 listed in the CIP; he said the project is typically funded from Fund 401.
- approved Change Order No. 1 for annex repairs after asbestos-containing tile was found during demolition. The abatement proposal totaled $4,723.89; Dean said the original allocation for the project was $160,000, so including this change order would run the project over that amount by $2,765.93. Council approved the change order and discussed the likelihood of additional abatement as work continues.
All routine awards and authorizations on the agenda passed by voice votes (those present said “I”). The committee did not record individual roll-call votes or identify motion makers in the meeting transcript.
Votes at a glance: - Sidewalk extension on Front Street: motion to include the extension when Front Street is reconstructed — approved by voice vote. - 2026 downtown landscaping (Copper Creek): award — approved by voice vote ($7,162). - 2026–2028 towing services (West Brainer Auto): award — approved by voice vote (term 2026–2028). - 2026 chip seal (Aztec Asphalt Surface Technologies): award — approved by voice vote ($148,850.70). - 2026 pavement markings: authorized solicitation — approved by voice vote (estimated ~$29,000; funding source Fund 401). - Annex repairs Change Order No. 1 (asbestos abatement): approve change order — approved by voice vote ($4,723.89).
