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Bridge over $2M while other city projects line up
by Rick DeClue · News · October 27, 2016
The city’s portion of the project cost for the replacement of the College Street bridge rose to a projected $1.03 million versus the original budget of $750,000 when the city adopted its five-year Capital Improvements Plan.
West Branch also received a $1 million grant to help pay for the now $2 million total project.
Some of the increase represents costs for improvements to streets surrounding the bridge. The city added those streets into the bridge project from other parts of the CIP. In addition, the city decided to complete utility work in the bridge area while the area is under construction.
City Administrator Matt Muckler told the city council at its Oct. 17 meeting that, after engineering and permitting is complete, the construction is expected to take place during fiscal year 2018.
Prior to the meeting, the city staff tentatively increased the $750,000 CIP budget figure to $910,000. The remaining $100,000-plus will come from further shifts in CIP funds or other sources, Muckler said.
All of these and other CIP issues will be discussed again at the next city council meeting on Nov. 7.
Originally projected at $800,000 for five years to total $4 million, the CIP underwent changes after its first year. Fiscal year 2016 project costs exceeded $1 million primarily due to the Fourth Street reconstruction project. These included some unforeseeable costs, such as poor soil conditions under the old street to utility and other infrastructure projects added on.
As a result, the council may modify or delay some Year Two CIP projects or, in the case of the entrance to Beranek Park, the city may shift costs from the city’s CIP to the separate Parks Department CIP.
The city has yet to reach an agreement on an exchange which would allow the city to acquire some ten-foot strips along the north and east sides of a lot owned by Lee and Patricia Cassenbaum to allow for changes to Beranek Street and the parking lot at the entrance to the park.
The council may move Beranek Street work to the Parks CIP due to the possibility of substantial savings in grading costs under one of the site plans being considered for Phase I of the city recreational center in Pedersen Valley. This would delay the Beranek Street work for a few years.
Shifting the Beranek costs and moving some street projects to get overall costs back in line through Year Two of the CIP, i.e. to a total near $1.6. million, may also allow the city to consider moving forward with the construction of sidewalks on Foster Street to the middle school/elementary campus. This project’s priority moved up based on its ranking in the recent annual goal review by the council.
As this construction season nears its end:
• The street paving on Fourth Street is complete and related driveway and sidewalk paving is under way, with paving of the West Branch Animal Clinic scheduled for Oct. 28;
• Utility work, road widening and grading of South Downey Street near the new Casey’s should be complete by the end of the month, with approaches to Kum & Go and Industrial Drive, street paving and backfill scheduled to be finished by Thanksgiving; and,
• Except for some final grading and minor work, the new playground at Wapsi Creek Park is open and in use – city staff reports many thank-you’s and compliments.
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