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McGregor’s two-year Main Street Sewer Project will start in 2022

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By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

 

McGregor’s estimated $9.5 million Main Street Sewer Project is slated to start in 2022 and be completed over a two-year period. 

 

The project, which is meant to address significant infiltration and inflow issues to the city’s aging sanitary sewer system, will include construction of a new lift station and force main on Front Street, as well as water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer utility upgrades and a full re-construction of Main Street.

 

“That’s replacement of sidewalks, steps and ramps, driveways within the right of way and then removal and replacement of the streetscaping elements. The railing will be removed and replaced, any street lights or signs, the clock, things of that nature,” shared Alex Jaromin, project engineer with Davy Engineering, who led an informational presentation at the Aug. 18 city council meeting. He was joined by project manager Mark Davy and design engineer Jim Maloney.

 

The project is separated into three distinct areas, beginning with Area A: the alley next to Kwik Star along with the lift station and force main. 

 

“There’s going to be a lift station that’s going to carry all the wastewater north of A Street to the gravity sewer south of A Street. That is because there is currently an inverted siphon carrying all that wastewater that’s not functioning properly, and there are sewer backups due to the condition of that siphon,” Jaromin explained.

 

Work on Area A will begin first, even as soon as this winter or early spring. Jaromin said it will be bid as a separate project from Main Street.

 

“Because a DOT contractor isn’t as familiar with a mechanical lift station project, you can get better prices with a smaller contractor that works on projects like that. Then you can start going on that lift station project sooner,” Jaromin said. “The contractor on Main Street could go right from there.”

 

Area B encompasses Main Street from River Street down to B Street, through McGregor’s downtown historic district. This phase would start in April/May 2022 and be completed by fall 2022.

 

In April/May 2023, construction on Area C would start south of B Street and continue down Main Street, past St. Mary’s Catholic Church to Buell Avenue. It would be complete in the fall of that year. 

 

B Street will serve as the pivot point throughout the two-year project, which Jaromin said was split into phases due to its size.

 

“I know it’s going to be an inconvenience. You’re ripping up the business district, but then that’s complete and you get out of there and go to the south,” he stated. “B Street will allow constant access to the city parking lot, allow constant access for trucks going to Bunge Grain. One of the main reasons of having B Street open is so we don’t have any truck traffic on the side streets.”

 

“That’s the way we figured it would provide the least amount of pain,” Jaromin added.

 

Temporary construction easement agreements will be sent out to all property owners prior to work beginning, through which property owners will grant a temporary right to occupy for connections to existing services at the right of way. 

 

“It provides mutual benefit for the city and property owner and is terminated upon completion of the project,” said Jaromin.

 

Due to the project’s location in, or near, McGregor’s commercial historic district—and that it takes place within the historic Mississippi River valley close to some archeological properties—Jaromin said an archeologist will be on retainer.

 

“If anything is encountered during the project, they will be contacted and work with the contractor, with us and the city to develop a plan to follow protocols the state historic office would require,” he stated. “No buildings will be touched or directly impacted by the project. There will be vibration monitoring that’s part of the contract. The contractor will have to hire a firm to do a pre-construction survey of all the buildings, and then they will install several monitoring stations along the project to make sure vibration levels don’t go above a certain threshold. If they do, the contractor needs to tone down the work in that area.”

 

The city’s historic storm sewer will not be disturbed by the project. According to Jaromin, the contractor will utilize trenchless construction to jack and bore pipe and utilities underneath those structures.

 

Jaromin said the contractor will also avoid disturbing building railings, stone or concrete steps and other fixtures, if possible.

 

“But there are certain things that can’t be avoided. There are certain steps and sidewalks that will need to be removed due to utilities, but it will be their responsibility to mitigate that,” he explained.

 

Jim Maloney, the design engineer, said sidewalks will remain in place as long as possible.

 

“As [the contractor] goes along, they’ll be trying to set up interim access for the commercial and residential districts, for people to get in and out,” he shared.

 

In the commercial district, sidewalk and curb will be replaced exactly as it looks now. Although the idea of creating more openings in the railings along the sidewalk has been proposed, Maloney said it likely won’t be feasible.

 

“The one thing with more openings is you lose parking spots. That’s where we’re looking to keep those entrances where they are currently. There’s a balance,” he quipped.

 

More storm intakes will be added along the route, however, limiting the amount of surface water “that is going to be running wild,” as Maloney described it.

 

It’s a move street supervisor Ren Pape said will prolong the life of the infrastructure.

 

“The sooner you can get that water and debris off the street, it should last longer,” he explained.

 

Project manager Mark Davy acknowledged the project will include a lot of inconveniences—everything from potential water and sewer service interruptions to mail delivery and garbage collection challenges.

 

“Those are things we’ve thought about. We’ll be holding public meetings to have more specific discussions once we have a contractor lined up,” he said. “We’ll try to hash out those small questions, but they’re not small if you’ve got to do this for an entire summer.”

 

Jaromin anticipates at least two or three more public information meetings prior to construction next spring.

 


Multiple funding sources will cover project cost

The cost for the now-estimated $9.5 million Main Street Sewer Project will be covered by multiple funding sources, most notably a $4.5 million match from the Iowa Department of Transportation thanks to the lobbying efforts of McGregor Mayor Lyle Troester.

 

“That covers the entire roadway, but not the utilities,” said Alex Jaromin, project engineer with Davy Engineering.

 

For that, the city has applied for a State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan.

 

“SRF will be able to provide a loan at an attractive rate because the city qualifies as disadvantaged. They would also throw in $1 million of principal forgiveness off that loan,” Jaromin noted. “There are some other potential funding sources we’re looking into as well.”

 

Lastly, the city and McGregor Municipal Utilities have been working with financial advisor Northland Securities to develop utility rate increases that will help cover the debt incurred by the project.

 

At its Aug. 18 meeting, the council approved final readings of ordinances to amend storm water and sewer service fees. Monthly storm sewer fees would increase $1.88, from $10.71 to $12.59, effective Sept. 1. They would jump another $1.87, to $14.46 per month, effective July 1, 2022, followed by a 2 percent annual increase after that.

 

On Sept. 1, the sewer base rate would increase $1.07, to $12.44 per month, along with a flow rate increase of 56 cents per 100 cubic feet. Effective July 1, 2022, the base rate will go up $1.07, to $13.51 per month, and the flow rate would rise 50 cents. A 3 percent annual increase will follow.

 

“The water department approved theirs at their last meeting. Their base rate is currently a $14 minimum for zero to 134 cubic feet. That will go to $17.38 for that same minimum. Usage is .02777 per cubic foot currently. It will go to .03167 per cubic foot,” said McGregor City Administrator Lynette McManus. “Because cost increases were not calculated into this, we’re working also to use some TIF funds to pay some of the debt.”

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