Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Streets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Thorp reviews $2.8M street reconstruction plan; lead service line replacements could raise costs to $8M
Summary
Council heard SEH and DPW estimates that a proposed 2025 street project covering E. School, Cemetery, N. Thorp and N. Clark streets would cost about $2.825 million without grants and could rise to $5.6–$8 million if scope expands and lead service lines are replaced; SEH recommended applying for Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water Fund and USDA Rural Development funding.
City staff and SEH presented a proposed 2025 street reconstruction project covering E. School Street (Hwy 73 to Cemetery Street), Cemetery Street (County Highway X to the railroad tracks), and two-block segments of North Thorp and North Clark. DPW Leech provided per-foot and line-item estimates that yielded an approximate total of $2.825 million without grants.
DPW Leech said the estimated per-foot cost is about $650–$700 and listed estimated totals by segment: E. School Street (2,365 feet) at roughly $1.65 million, N. Cemetery Street (940 feet) at about $658,000, and N. Clark and N. Thorp (each 367 feet) at approximately $256,900 apiece.
SEH representative Paulette Hedrington told the council that because the project area contains a substantial number of lead service lines, mandatory replacements could substantially increase costs. Hedrington said expanding the project's scope to include parts of East Main and Washington Street would further raise costs and estimated total program costs could increase to roughly $5.6 million to $8 million.
Hedrington recommended applying for funding through the Safe Drinking Water – Lead Service Line program, the Clean Water Fund, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program; she noted competition for grant dollars and said USDA programs often combine a loan sized to the community’s ability to pay with grant amounts that cover the remainder. Clerk-Treasurer Michele Pogodzinski said she will contact Brian Riley at Ehlers for advice on financing and affordability.
No formal vote or funding commitment was made at the meeting; councilors requested staff pursue grant and loan options and return with affordability analysis for budgeting.
