10-13-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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October 13,1997 To: Orono City Council ! -h From: Greg Gappa, Public Services Director Subject: Spring Hill Golf Course, CR 6 Tunnel Construction Construction of the 8' high bv • 2' wide concrete box culvert under County Road 6, this fall, is being proposed by the Spring Hill Golf Course. The Developer, City, and Hennepin County have discussed this proposal. Pending Council approval of the appropriate agreements, construction is planned for the last two weeks of October. (See attached schedule) We have some concerns about this proposal that the Counv.*) needs to be aware of Tunnel construction will require open cutting of the highway. Construction this late in the season entails risks, and a successful project is contingent on favorable weather conditions. We are concerned that unfavorable weather conditions will result in a poor quality project with maintenance problems all winter. A major concern is with poor quality asphalt pavement. According to MNDOT specifications the minimum temperature for completion of asphalt paving is 45 degrees. Once the road has been open cut pavement must be installed, leaving an aggregate surface throughout the winter is totally unacceptable from a maintenance perspective. County Road 6 has an average daily traffic count of 8,000 vehicles. Paving at low temperatures can result in poor quality pavement that will require patching all winter. Winter patching is expensive with limited effectiveness. Contractor availability for completion of the asphalt paving is also a concern. It can be difficult to schedule paving late in the season because everyone is rushing to complete i .ojects before winter. The paving contractors have said that this year is difficult because many projects are behind schedule because of the wet summer. We are concerned that the tunnel will be installed on schedule, but then getting the paving subcontractor to complete the work will be difficult. The City of Orono will need to have an agreement, with Hennepin County, to allow for installation of this Umnel across County Road 6. This agreement will mean that the City is ultimately responsible, to Hermepin County, for this tunnel. A separate agreement will need to be signed with Spring Golf Course to pass on the tunnel responsibilities to the golf course, with provisions for the City to complete any tasks not f'reformed by the golf course. Any City costs for completion of this required work could then be assessed to the golf course property. This agreement should protect the financial interests f'- .he City, but resolution of problems by the City will result in additional coordination and .»ork responsibilities for the City. We believe it is important that the Council consider these concerns when making any decisions regarding the installation of this tunnel, because the ultimate responsibility to Hennepin County for this project is with the City.