City prepares for proposed Highway 3 widening

Le Mars City Council members gave their approval Tuesday for plans and specifications for a new storm sewer project along Iowa Highway 3, which will ease current excessive storm water run-off near Floyd Valley Hospital.

Cost of this initial phase of the project is estimated at $20,950. City Administrator Scott Langel estimated an additional $24,000 will be needed for construction work.

Langel explained the project "is needed for a number of reasons."

The need for a new storm sewer became obvious as he and city staff reviewed preliminary designs for the proposed widening of Highway 3 near the hospital.

"We think we can handle the run-off situation in two ways," Langel said. "One is with the storm sewer project that has been proposed. The second way is by our taking a renewed look at the retention facilities in the south extension of Le Mars.

"It's possible an additional retention basin can allow us to keep as much of the run-off up-stream for a longer period of time so that it doesn't inundate the downstream property." Langel said.

Council members also gave their approval to locating a closed conduit pipeline storm sewer from Highway 3 to Goose Creek, a storm water drainage area in northeast Le Mars.

Exact routing of the storm sewer is yet to be determined with an original recommendation by Langel that it be placed near the Le Mars Street Department Building.

Councilman Ken Nelson suggested an alternate option. That option, favored by several others on the council, would have the pipeline routed through the Plymouth County Fairgrounds and into Goose Creek.

Nelson said that routing would alleviate the need to deal with private property owners in the construction process. He said it could also be beneficial for the fairground property by alleviating any drainage issues there.

Nelson said a solution to the run-off problem needs to be completed before starting the Highway 3 widening work.

City officials are waiting for final word from the Environmental Protection Agency on the possibility of routing the storm sewer in the street department building area. The EPA is involved because that site was the former location of a coal-gas plant, which left behind environmental concerns.

Councilman Rex Knapp, serving Tuesday as mayor pro-tem, suggested the fairgrounds route could mean an up to 30 percent reduction in over-all project cost. He also indicated his desire that pre-construction engineering work be completed as soon as possible.

Knapp said that could possibly allow for "piggybacking" the sewer on another project for funding. It could also save money in the taking of project bids at a time when contractors were looking for work.

The Highway 3 widening project could be one of those designated for "piggybacking" if federal money becomes available, Knapp said. He emphasized that the drainage work "has to get done before any concrete is laid."

The widening, including the addition of turning lanes, would require filling drainage ditches along the roadway and possibly cause additional run-off problems for Floyd Valley Hospital if the sewer project is not done, Langel said.

Councilwoman Delana Ihrke, indicating support for the safety value of the turning lanes, also felt the present rural designation to the highway was appropriate for the area.

Mike Donlin, Floyd Valley Hospital administrator, expressed concern to the accessibility to the hospital during the highway construction. Langel indicated an alternative entrance to the facility would be made available once the project got underway.

A report from Bryan Wells, P.E., Dewild Grant Reckert & Associates showed cost of the highway widening as well as the sewer work at an estimated $1 million.

The $692,000 cost of the widening would be offset with $400,000 in federal funding. The report showed an estimated price tag of $308,000 for the storm sewer project.

Additional funding sources for the proposed projects included $300,000 in local road use tax monies and $100,000 from local storm sewer funds.

An additional $225,000 that could occur as an "over run" in conjunction with the future Business 75 project might also be seen as a funding source, Langel said.